Quota for border people may help BJP mollify Jammu voters

The Jammu & Kashmir administration’s decision to reserve 3% jobs in the state for people residing along the International border may help BJP to mollify its disgruntled electorate in Jammu.

Congress, though, said the reservation is merely an eyewash as it would not help the border residents adequately. The State Administrative Council (SAC), under Governor Satyapal Malik, had on Thursday approved amendments in the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2014 for extending the benefits of reservation to people along border areas.

The decision brings people living along the international border in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts at par with the residents along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch, Rajouri and Kashmir, and Ladakh. There are around 3 lakh people spread over 350 villages along the international border.


“The amendment shall meet the longstanding demand of the people residing in the areas adjoining international border for their overall socio-economic and educational development,” a government spokesperson said.

J&K Congress spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, however, said, “BJP has failed in Jammu and now they are taking these steps to hogwash people of the border who faced the brunt of Pakistan. They have been merged with LoC residents, rather than giving them separate reservation and putting them under RBA.”

The recommendations of J&K State Commission for Backward Classes stated that areas falling within 6 km from the international border would be covered under this decision. Under Malik, SAC has taken a string of decisions. The Union cabinet had a few days ago approved SAC’s proposal granting 10% reservation to economically weaker sections (EWS) among general categories and reservations in promotion to scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs).

Political leaders have criticised this trend, saying the administration should wait for an elected government to decide on such crucial issues.