New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government has put an influx of reservations in front of the hills in Jammu and Kashmir, which has come as a surprise to the Gujjars and Bakarwals worried about the weakening of the Scheduled Tribe (ST) quota.
Union Home Minister announcing reservation benefits for hills in Rajouri on October 4 Amit Shah He also assured Gujjars and Bakarwals that their share of ST quota would not be tampered with.
If their long-standing demand is fulfilled, the Pahari people will be eligible for jobs and educational institutions under the ST quota, which is 10 per cent in J&K.
The hills, along with the Gujjars and Bakarwals, are an important factor in the eight assembly seats in the Rajouri and Poonch districts of the Pir Panjal belt. These seats are crucial for any political party seeking to form a government in Jammu and Kashmir, where elections are likely to be held later this year or early next year.
The Jammu region has 43 seats, six more after the delimitation exercise, while Kashmir has 47. Nine seats – 6 in Jammu and 3 in Kashmir – are reserved for STs. With less presence in Kashmir, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will try to win maximum seats from Jammu if it wants to form a government with other parties, especially after its three-year experience with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). June 2018.
While the BJP continues to dominate Jammu, other parties also have a significant support base. In the 2020 District Development Council (DDC) elections, in the previous elections in J&K, the Gupkar allies won 110 seats (84 in Kashmir, 26 in Jammu), the BJP 75 (72 in Jammu, 3 in Kashmir), the Congress. 26 (17 in Jammu, 9 in Kashmir) and J&K Apni Party 12. Independent candidates won around 50 seats.
Traditionally, the Rajouri-Poonch belt has been a National Conference (NC) stronghold. However, in the 2014 J&K elections, the contest started with all major parties winning seats in the belt. Of the seven seats in Rajouri-Poonch region, BJP won 2, PDP 3, Congress and NC one seat each.
Similarly, in the DDC election, NC and Congress won seven each, BJP three and PDP one. Out of the total 28 seats in Jammu, the remaining 9 seats went to the independent account.
It is in this context that the Centre’s promise of reservation for hill people, who make up 8 per cent of Jammu and Kashmir’s population, should be seen in this context.
According to the State Advisory Board for the Development of Pahari speaking people, there are about 10.2 lakh Paharis in Jammu and Kashmir. based on the 2011 census. Poonch and Rajouri districts have a population of 6.25 lakhs. The number of Gujjars and Bakarwals is about 11 lakhs. While 35 per cent of the Gurjar-Bakarwal population lives in the Rajouri-Poonch belt, the rest is spread over the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The nomadic tribes of Gurjars and Bakarwals, who follow Islam, were declared Scheduled Tribes in 1991.
A former professor of political science at the University of Jammu said that of the two tribes, the Bakarwals are more economically marginalised. The professor said that though a large number of Gujjars are backward too, some have been elevated after the reservation quota.
The hills include both Muslims and Hindus, the latter estimated to be marginally better in terms of their numerical strength.
Given to Pahari community after amendment in J&K reservation rules in 2020 4 percent reservation in government jobs and admission in educational institutions.
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Pahari political leaders told ThePrint that they were hoping to increase the ST quota in J&K as Shah has said that the share of the Gurjar-Bakarwal quota will not be reduced.
Before the announcement of reservation for hills, the center had nominated Ghulam Ali KhatanaGujjar BJP leader, to the Rajya Sabha in September.
“We have given rights to Gujjar-Bakkars, we will also give rights to the hill people. In the upcoming elections in Jammu and Kashmir, all eight seats of Rajouri-Poonch belt will go to BJP’s account. So other parties are worried,” BJP state general secretary Vibodh Gupta, a Pahari, told ThePrint.
He said that after Shah’s announcement, the BJP is confident of getting the votes of these tribes.
In 2014, the BJP won all its 25 seats in Jammu and emerged as the second largest party after the PDP, which secured 28. The BJP also won from Nowshera and Kalakot in the Poonch-Rajouri belt for the first time.
Former Congress MLC Ravinder Sharma, a Pahari, told ThePrint that the party does not oppose the Pahari reservation, but added that the home minister’s speech “has not satisfied the Paharis”.
“The hills are suspicious because they are not sure what the administrative process is [that Shah mentioned in the rally for quota] will be completed,” he said. “Reservation for hills was first recommended to the Center by the NC-Congress government in 1989 and then by other governments.”
But the BJP claimed that the Congress and the National Conference have exploited only three communities in the region. “Congress [at the centre] was not ready to accede to the demands, and the National Conference did not utter a word. NC-Congress is exploiting Gurjar-Bakarwal and hills.
Regional parties including the NC, PDP and the newly formed Democratic Azad Party have also questioned the nature of the promises made by Shah.
“There was no announcement” [on expected lines], They have not given any guarantee or any specific time. it’s one of their [Amit Shah] rhetoric,Taj Moinuddin, treasurer of the Democratic Azad Party, told ThePrint. “I would welcome hill reservation but it should not happen” rhetoricThe Gujjar leader said.
Veteran Gujjar leader of the National Conference Mian Altaf was vocal about the sentiments of his community. “Whether they give reservation to the hills or not, it doesn’t matter to us,” he said. We only want our reservation to remain intact,” he told ThePrint.
The PDP has accused the BJP of trying to divide communities in Jammu. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said, “First they pitted Hindus against Muslims and now they want Gujjars and Paharis to fight amongst themselves.”
(Edited by Tony Rae)
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