Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 19: The members of various organisations of the OBCs today held protest demonstration at Jammu, demanding 27 % reservation for the OBC community in the Jammu and Kashmir.
Several OBC organizations including Jammu & Kashmir OBC Mahasabha, All India Backward Classes Federation J&K Unit, All J&K OBC Welfare Forum, presidents of Mandal Commission identified Socially and Educationally Backward Classes and the Intellectuals of OBC Samaj whose castes/classes are identified by Mandal Commission today held a protest-cum-press conference near Hari Singh Park here.
They pointed out that as per census OBCs have 42 % population but they have been given only 8 % reservation in JK-UT. Several communities included now in J&K have not been included by Mandal Commission. Moreover, 10% has been granted to Pahari speaking people having only 10 lakhs population.
They said Mandal Commission identified 63 castes and communities of Jammu & Kashmir as Socially & Educationally Backward but the 13 communities out of 16 Non-Mandal Commission identified communities are inducted in the lists of JK-UT OBC’s under the Political influence, keeping in view the Lok-Sabha elections.
The vertical reservation is only meant for Schedule Castes, Schedule Tribes and Other Backward Classes under Article 15(4), 15(5) and 16(4), 16(5) and 10% EWS other than Schedule Castes, Schedule Tribe and OBC’s is under Article 15(6) and 16(6) but the 10% vertical reservation in the name of Backward Area as RBA and 4% as ALC and IB are unconstitutional.
When EWS 10% reservation under Article 15(6) and 16(6) is meant for castes and communities other than Schedule Castes and OBC’s then why the Commission has recommended non-Mandal Commission communities for induction in the JK-UT lists of OBC’s. They said the Union Govt should immediately release the Scholarships for OBC students, creamy layer on OBC masses should be abolished like Schedule caste and Schedule Tribes, the word Rural in the central list of OBCs stil exists despite deletion by J&K Govt in 2000. Due to this masses of Barber, Kumhar, Dhobi and Teeli residing in urban areas are not getting their OBC certificates.
Prominent among those who addressed included KL Basotra, Faquir Chand Satia, Talvinder Singh, Kewal Fotra, Rajinder Sikka, Darshan Mehra, Mohd Rashid Jagdish Verma and others.
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