‘Ensure participation of Gujjars in elections’
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 3: Senior BJP leader and former Minister, Abdul Gani Kohli has demanded that the Assembly elections in the State be held after the second week of November as the majority of nomadic Gujjars migrate to higher reaches of State for pasturing their cattle and sheep during Summer and they return from their in the middle of November.
Talking to reporters here, today Kohli criticised the National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Panthers Party (PP) leaders for demanding immediate Assembly poll in the State and accused them of not bothering about the Gujjars, Bakerwals and Pharis as majority of them are not in a position to exercise their franchise in case the Assembly elections are held prior to November as they migrate to higher reaches in Kashmir for grazing their cattle, sheep and goats.
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He said alone from Kalakote Constituency 50,000 of these voters move to various places in Kashmir valley and Ladakh like Sonamarg, Gurez, Talail, Karnah, Bangus Valley, Drass, Kargil etc.
He demanded that keeping this in view the Gujjar and Bakerwal community be given chance to exercise their right to franchise after the second week of November.
Kohli alleged that neither Congress-NC coalition nor PDP when in Government have ever thought of giving political reservations to Gujjars in the State in the same way as has been given to SC community. He said BJP has approved a resolution that in case the party comes to power they will immediately bring a Bill in Assembly for granting political reservations to Gujjars. There are about 10 Assembly segments in Kashmir which can be reserved for ST community under political reservations, he added.
He said there is no restriction in India over employment in any district where a member of one district can’t apply in another but it is strange that STs of Jammu are barred to serve in Kashmir which is itself an injustice with the community.
Demanding fresh census of Gujjar and Bakerwal population in the State, he said 2011 census shows the population of community as 15 lakh which is over 20 lakh. The census is not based on facts as the period when it was conducted the majority of Gujjars and Bakerwals had migrated to higher reaches.
Ch Abdul Rashid Gorsi, Molvi Mohammed Alam, Mohammed Shabir, Advocate Vinod Sharma, Ch Farooq, Ch Tufail, all Sarpanches and Ch Akhter and Ch Muzafar ex Sarpanches besides Ch Bashir and Ch Anis, Panchs were present in the press conference.
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