Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 6: United Forum of presidents of different castes and communities, under the banner of All J&K Youth OBC Mahasabha, took out a Mashaal (torch-light) rally, in support of their demands today.
The rallyist assembled at Gorkha Nagar and started Mashaal rally amid raising of slogans against the Government and in support of their demands, which traversed through Gujjar Nagar, Prem Nagar, Lower Gumat Chowk and culminated into a demonstration at Jewel Chowk.
While addressing the speakers criticized the State rulers for framing the Reservation Act-2004 and Reservation Rules vide SRO 294 of 2005 and described these as a cruel joke with the State OBC castes and communities among the Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs having 48 percent of the total population in the State and who have been experiencing discrimination at the hands of rulers for centuries together.
The speakers held that Reservation Act 2004 and SRO 294 is reproduction of SRO 126 of 1994. They said the State rulers have provided only 2 percent reservation to OBC as against 27% as per verdict of Supreme Court on Mandal Commission report. They said the State Government has created artificial group of Backward Classes under the garb of RBA and ALC, who were enjoying 23% reservation illegally and unconstitutionally at the cost of real OBCs.
The speakers who included Mohd Rafiq, Abdul Qadir, Sunny Mehra, Bunty Mehra, Shubam Verma, Mohan Lal Pawar, Ayodhia Kumar Manawa, Kasturi Lal Basotra, Murari Lal Balgotra, Devi Dass Balgotra, Des Raj Tyagi, F C Satia, Rattan Lal Chargotra, Bansi Lal Choudhary, Bittoo, Anil Kumar, Vijay Kumari etc announced that OBC Mahasabha will hold more protest rallies at district, tehsil and block level if the State Government failed to implement 27% reservation to OBCs in the State services.