The News Craving
Srinagar:
In a significant development, the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament, has passed a crucial bill aimed at extending Scheduled Tribe (ST) reservation benefits to the Pahari community.
The Gujjar Bakarwal community of Jammu and Kashmir earlier announced plans to challenge the decision that could grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) reservation status to the Pahari community.
The Lok Sabha, on Tuesday, passed the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023, granting scheduled tribe status to the Pahari people and other communities in Jammu & Kashmir,
Zahid Parwaz Choudhary, the State President of the Gujjar Bakarwal Youth Welfare Conference, a non-political organization dedicated to the welfare of tribals and nomads in J&K, issued a stern warning to the ruling BJP government, indicating an impending agitation against what he perceives as an unjust decision. In a tweet, he said, “Another Andolan of Gujjar Bakarwals is approaching. Wait and watch BJP Sarkar you will face the brunt of granting ST Status to Upper Castes in JK, very soon.”
The Gujjar Bakarwal Youth Welfare Conference also called for a boycott of the BJP, alleging that the party is exploiting reservation policies for political gain. Choudhary claimed that the BJP is distributing reservation benefits primarily to its own supporters, neglecting the empowerment of other marginalized communities.
“Reservation now has become a tool to get political benefits,” Choudhary remarked, emphasizing the Gujjar Bakarwal community’s dissatisfaction with the BJP’s approach to governance. He accused the party of being power-hungry and using reservation as a mere vote bank strategy.
The Gujjar Bakarwal community, estimated to be around 30 lakh in number, feels marginalized , he said.
