Balbir Singh demands ‘quota’ for Gaddis, Sippis

Excelsior Correspondent

KATHUA, July 25: Former Legislator and senior Congress leader Thakur Balbir Singh has pleaded the cause of Tribal (ST) Gaddis and Sippis seeking share in the assembly seats being Tribal communities.
Former MLA responded to the demand of a delegation of Gaddis and Sippis, which met him during his recent visit to remote Bani area, seeking reservation and representation in the UT Assembly being Tribal communities ( ST) but denied any reserved seats in the Legislature.
They apprised him that no seats have been reserved for the two Tribal communities, residing mainly in the remote and hilly areas of Bani, Basohli in Kathua, Dudu-Basantgarh in Udhampur and parts of erstwhile Doda district.
They can’t elect any representative on their own, without any reservation of seat in the assembly as they have around two lakh populations in these areas of Udhampur, Doda and Kathua but the government failed to give them political reservation in this Assembly.
They told Congress leader that their demand was not considered by the present government at the Centre and LG administration and grave injustice has been caused to them, depriving them of any political representation . In the absence of Upper House in J &K, Gaddis and Sippis will remain deprived of representation, if political reservation is not given to them in the current process.
Balbir Singh urged the Centre Government and UT Administration to do justice in the matter of political representation with the most deserving sections of society- Gaddis and Sippis.