Srinagar, Dec 23 :
The merit based students called off their sit-in after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah promised to submit the report on reviewing the Jammu and Kashmir reservation policy in six months.
The delegation of merit based students were called by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar while they gathered outside his residence on Gupkar Road in Srinagar on Monday afternoon to protest against the ‘unfair’ policy.
Scores of aspirants alongside the ruling National Conference Member of Parliament Agha Ruhullah Mehdi alongside political leaders from other parties joined the protest for rationalisation of the reservation policy.
“Today I met the representatives of the Open Merit Students Association. The beauty of democracy is the right to be heard & dialogue in a spirit of mutual cooperation. I have made certain requests of them & given them a
Govt to submit review report
number of assurances. This channel of communication will remain open without any intermediaries or hangers on,” posted Omar on X.
A student representative Sahil Parray who was part of the meeting with the CM said they are “almost satisfied” with the assurances from the highest office.
“The Chief Minister patiently listened to us for an hour. We called off the sit in after getting assurance that the cabinet subcommittee will submit the report within six months. The panel will meet students and the best thing was he accepted the issue is a genuine and will resolve it,” he told ETV Bharat after coming out of the meeting.
The J&K Government will submit the recommendation of the panel to the central government for amending the policy.
The J&K reservation policy in jobs and educational institutions allows over 60 percent quota to reserved groups after the Bharatiya Janata Party led government increased the quotas by 14 percent in the run-up to the Lok Sabha election 2024, shrinking the opportunities for open merit population.
The ruling National Conference had vowed to review the policy in its poll manifesto.
MP Ruhullah, who has become an advocate for the merit based students, was waiting for the students outside the CM’s residence till the meeting was over.
Initially the students, according to Parray, insisted the CM to complete the exercise in three months.
“But he gave us reasons for it. The panel will meet students and listen to our issues. It is a good beginning and the best thing is it is time bound exercise now,” he added.
Earlier, the open merit students were ‘angry’ after the government parried the questions over the issues describing it as sub-judice. A petition has been filed in the J&K High Court challenging the ‘unfair’ reservation policy.
Besides, the delegation also highlighted the issue of criteria for EWS eligibility should be addressed as well.
The Chief Minister assured it will be taken up soon as the issue lies in his domain, Parray added
