BJP moves to scuttle Congress-NC pledge to revise post-Article 370 quotas in J&K | India…

SRINAGAR: BJP has positioned itself to defend the “rights granted to marginalised communities in J&K”, as a joint manifesto by the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance for the assembly polls promised revisions and rollback of the reservation policy for ST/SC and other backward classes (OBC) instituted after the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the region into two Union territories in 2019.
The alliance has also promised to restore J&K’s statehood and the political status quo before Article 370’s repeal, if given the mandate to govern. NC said it would rename Shankaracharya Hill as “Takht-e-Suleiman” and Hari Parbat as “Koh-e-Maran” — seen as a move to regain its foothold by appealing to Kashmir’s Muslim-majority sentiment.
On Feb 6, Lok Sabha passed the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023, granting ST status to the Pahari community and several others, including Gadda Brahman, Koli, and Paddari, in J&K. Lok Sabha also approved the Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which seeks to include the Valmiki community in J&K’s SC list. The Pahari community is predominantly found in the Nowshera, Kalakote-Sunderbani, Rajouri, Thanmandi, Surankote, Poonch-Haveli, Mendhar, Uri, and Karnah assembly segments of the Union territory.
BJP has promised to prevent any exclusion of policies, particularly those benefiting socially backward communities in J&K. Party functionary Devender Singh Rana said Saturday: “BJP will fight against any attempt to revise reservations granted to Dalits, Gujjars, Paharis, and OBCs — rights they only gained after the abrogation of Article 370.”
Rana, a former close aide of NC vice president Omar Abdullah, also condemned the proposal to rename Shankaracharya Hill and Hari Parbat. “Both places are sacred and related to our faith,” he said.
Legal experts questioned whether the J&K assembly with truncated powers could reverse Union govt decisions. “I doubt the assembly can overturn orders and laws of the Centre,” lawyer Younis Bhat said Saturday.
Recent Union home ministry orders further empowered the lieutenant governor over key areas, including revenue matters, raising questions about the extent of power an elected govt in the Union territory would have.
The Congress-NC manifesto has sparked controversy in the run up to J&K’s first assembly elections in a decade — to be held in three phases from Sept 18 to Oct 1. Votes will be counted on Oct 4.
The BJP brass has mobilised Union minister G Kishan Reddy and party’s Kashmir in-charge Ram Madhav, alongside others like its national general secretary Tarun Chugh and co-in-charge Ashish Sood, to oversee the campaign.
BJP sources said Madhav’s presence is seen as key to mobilising a party cadre disillusioned with local functionaries following the party’s unimpressive showing in the Kashmir region in this summer’s Lok Sabha polls. Of the five LS seats, NC won three and BJP took two — both in its Jammu zone stronghold.
“He is the man drawing like-minded people towards BJP in Kashmir,” party functionary Altaf Thakur commented on Madhav — a member of the RSS national executive, who is known for his role in the 2014 BJP-PDP alliance.
Despite efforts by BJP’s J&K unit, led by Ravindra Raina and Ashok Kaul, the party has struggled to maintain cohesion, particularly in Kashmir valley. Local BJP functionaries have reportedly failed to effectively involve party workers in decision-making. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s recent visit to Kashmir, where he received a warm reception, has further concerned BJP.
(with inputs from Sanjay Khajuria in Jammu)