Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 14: All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) today reiterated its demand of extension of National Minority Act (NMA) to J&K State and granting of minority status to Sikhs in the State.
The demand was made at a press conference here by Chairman, All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC), Jagmohan Singh Raina along with other office bearers of the organization. He said though the Sikhs of the State have been demanding the extension of NMA to the State for a pretty long time now, the same has not been conceded by the State Government till date which is a cause of concern for the minorities of this border State.
He said by not extending the Act to the State, indicates that Sikhs are not considered as a minority in J&K as the Government has been maintaining that the Central laws can’t be extended to the State.
Challenging this contention of the State Government, Raina said that if legislations like Goods and Service Tax (GST) and other various Central laws can be extended to the State why can’t the NMA. He said basic fact is that State Government irrespective of the party or parties that are in the Government don’t want that Sikhs be given due rights.
Raina said that People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had in its poll manifesto of 2014 Assembly elections had promised that Sikhs would be given the status of minority in J&K. However, despite being in the power for the past three years or so the party has not taken any step in this regard.
He alleged that the party in fact has backtracked from its promise and same was proved when it submitted affidavit regarding granting of minority status to communities in J&K. The State Government has made it clear that it is not ready to grant minority status to Sikhs of the State. There are in fact some people in the Government who want to dilute the National Minority Act, he added.
Raina said though former Chairmen National Minority Commission (NMC) for Minorities, Wajahat Habibullah and Tarlocahan Singh Dutt have time and again asked the State Government to extend the National Minority Act to the State, this too has not been conceded by the State Government as such the Sikhs are yet to be classified as a minority in J&K.
He also said that BJP which is the coalition partner of PDP in the State should also clear its stand on the issue as party leaders are saying that they were not taken into confidence when affidavit was filed in the Supreme Court with regard to classification of minorities in the State.
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