Senior BJP leader D S Rana has accused the Congress along with the National Conference (NC) to end the reservations for various communities enshrined in the Indian Constitution. The NC-Congress alliance was meant to end the reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Scheduled Tibes (STs), including Gujjar-Bakerwals and Paharis, besides OBCs in Jammu and Kashmir, to disempower these marginalised communities, he said while addressing a press conference in Jammu on August 24.
“The Congress has joined hands with the NC to further its agenda, which is reflected in the NC’s pro-Pakistan, pro-separatist, anti-J&K people and anti-national manifesto. The manifesto talks of repealing the reservations guaranteed to the SC, ST, Gujjars, Paharis and OBCs in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 as per Dr B R Ambedkar’s Constitution,” he said.
Incidentally, the NC is opposed to the reservations granted to many communities and made mention of its opposition in its manifesto released some days ago. It was after Article 370 got scrapped on August 5, 2019, that Gujjar-Bakerwal community was given political reservations for the first time. Under various NC state governments, no communities were identified as Scheduled Tribes (STs) till late 1989. The Gujjar-Bakerwal community, comprising approximately 10 per cent of J&K population, got ST status on April 19, 1991. However, they were given only limited rights and not given any political reservations.
Rana said the BJP will not allow this dubious design of the NC and its ally, the Congress, to succeed. These communities will get disempowered in spheres of education, employment and denied space in politics if the NC-Congress combine succeeds. “The BJP will protect the reservations given to SCs, STs and OBCs in Jammu and Kashmir,” he asserted.
“Soon after unveiling of the divisive and anti-people manifesto of the NC, the Congress leadership led by Gandhi scion (read Rahul Gandhi) expressed pride in endorsing the anti-reservation document. This the Congress did by forging an alliance with the party that has all along discriminated against the marginalized segments of society,” Rana said. The NC was attempting to trample the Indian Constitution which guarantees equitable and fair share to the marginalized communities in jobs, education and political spectrum.
The BJP achieving “Ek Nishan, Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan” as per the true spirit of Babasaheb’s Constitution has remained an eyesore for the NC and the Congress, Rana said. This was the reason why these parties were sore with the BJP and now they have decided to target marginalized communities, he added.
Rana strongly criticized the NC and the Congress for polarizing the society and creating divisions for securing political mileage. He said whenever the two parties have come together, as they had in 1987 last time, the marginalized people have remained at the receiving end. During their coalition governments in J&K from time to time, the Jammu region has always been discriminated against, he said and vowed that the BJP has been all along fighting discrimination with any segment of the society or any region.
Referring to the change in the nomenclature of the world-famous Shankaracharya Hills (known as Gopadri hills since time immemorial) as Takht-e-Suleman and Hari Parbhat as Kohe-Maran in the NC manifesto, he described this as direct assault on the faith and identity of the Sanatanis.
“NC is playing with our identity, as Shankaracharya and Hari Parbhat are matters of faith for Sanatanis,” Rana said, questioning whether this move was to placate radicalized elements. The Congress should clear its stand on renaming of the most revered religious landmarks as Takht-e-Suleman and Koh-e- Marran, he added.
