‘Govt to bring reservation level in accordance with SC ruling’
*NC to consult experts on becoming party in SC on Statehood restoration
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 3: In stronghold of the BJP, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today received rousing welcome as he walked on foot from Residency Road to Raghunath Bazaar on Day one of reopening of Darbar Move offices here after four years with traders showering flowers and greeting him profusely for restoration of the bi-annual exercise of shifting the capital from Srinagar to Jammu and vice versa.
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Traders and other people lined up along Residency Road and Raghunath Bazaar and cheered the Chief Minister, who walked on the City roads along with his Cabinet colleagues besides Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Arun Gupta.
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Later, in his media interaction, the Chief Minister made a significant statement on the issue of reservation saying his Government intends to bring the reservation level in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling, which says that there should not be more than 50 per cent quota. He also stated that the NC is thinking about becoming a party in a case before the Supreme Court related to restoration of Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Omar shunned the motorcade as he came out of his official residence after sensing massive response from the traders who had lined up along Residency Road and Raghunath Bazaar to welcome him on his historic decision of restoration of Darbar Move practice after four years as they felt this will benefit them.
The practice of Darbar Move which was started in 1872 was stopped in 2021 by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration. Many trader bodies including the Chamber of Commerce and Industry had repeatedly been demanding resumption of Darbar Move practice. Few days back, the Cabinet headed by Omar Abdullah took the decision to restore Darbar Move practice which was approved by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
Along the Residency Road and historic Raghunath Bazaar, flower petals rained down on the Chief Minister as rhythmic beats of drums and fervent sloganeering rent the air. Omar reciprocated the gesture of traders and stopped at various places to accept their greetings.
“How important was this (decision), especially for Jammu, you might have come to know this morning. The journey (from my official residence to the Civil Secretariat), which usually takes five minutes, took an hour with people pouring out on the streets and showering their love…Jammu was greatly affected when the Darbar Move was stopped,” Omar said, adding that the decision was driven by sentiment and regional integration.
“The most important thing is that everything should not be weighed in money. The Darbar Move was stopped to save money. Some things are more important than money, as they involve sentiments and unity between the two regions of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, calling the tradition the “biggest way” to unite the regions.
Omar received a guard of honour from the Jammu and Kashmir Police contingent upon reaching the Civil Secretariat at 10 AM. He expressed hope that the economy of the region would benefit greatly from his decision to revive the age-old tradition.
However, due to a paucity of time, Omar later continued his journey to the Secretariat in his motorcade.
A group of people waiting for the Chief Minister outside the Secretariat showered flower petals on his cavalcade.
Later, speaking to reporters, Omar announced that his Government proposes to bring reservation level in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling that says there shouldn’t be more than 50 percent quota.
“The Cabinet Sub Committee report will be placed before the Cabinet and after its nod it will be forwarded to the Lieutenant Governor for approval,” he said.
There have been growing objections to the Centre’s move to push the reservation quota to 70 per cent in Jammu and Kashmir, following last year’s announcements introducing a separate 10 per cent reservation for Paharis and other tribes and enhancing the OBC (Other Backward Classes) quota to eight per cent.
Asserting that the Opposition started talking about the reservation issue only when the National Conference included it in its election manifesto, Omar asked: “Who was talking on the subject otherwise?
On the issue of restoration of Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said the NC is thinking on becoming a party in the apex court in a case related to the Statehood but will take into account both advantages and disadvantages before doing so. “Many of our people who are well-versed with law and Constitution are looking at it. Their opinion and advice will decide our next move”.
Replying to a question on PDP president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti filing a petition in the High Court seeking return of Kashmiri prisoners held in jails outside the Union Territory, Omar said that since she has taken the step, everyone has to wait for the court order.
“Now you cannot discuss the issue in the Assembly because you have pushed (the issue) outside the ambit of discussion (by approaching the court). When they (PDP legislators) will try to raise the issue in the Assembly or bring a resolution on it, the Speaker will tell them that the issue is sub-judice. How long it will remain sub-judice, we do not know,” he said, adding that Mehbooba has gone to the court thinking that she will get something from there, and hence, all have to wait.
On the flood package, the CM said his Government has submitted a memorandum to the Centre after assessing the damage.
“Compared to the 2014 floods when Kashmir suffered heavy damage, this time the loss is more in Jammu rather than the Valley. The memo has been sent and we are hopeful that a flood package will be granted to Jammu and Kashmir soon,” he said.
Omar said the party is fighting to win both the Budgam and Nagrota Assembly seats in the by-elections scheduled on November 11.
“One was our own seat (Budgam) and the other was one we lost in the last election. We are hopeful that our performance will be better this time in Nagrota because the BJP has proved once again, which I am repeatedly saying, that it has no problem over dynastic rule. They like dynastic rule if its in their party but see it only when it comes to families against the BJP,” he said.
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