A day after Lok Sabha nodded for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the paharis community, the National Conference vice president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said that he would like to hear from the BJP and particularly from the Union Government that how they have proposed to protect the share of Gujjar community.
“We would like to hear from the BJP and particularly from the Union Government that how they have proposed to protect the share of Gujjar community,” Omar Abdullah here told reporters at the party headquarter.
“The NC Member Parliament Hasnain Masoodi on Tuesday in the Lok Sabha during his intervention, supported ST status to paharis and said that the government should come clear and take the House into confidence and say it to Gujjars that how they kept their share into intact,” said junior Abdullah.
He said, “ask Paharis and Gujjars how they are feeling.”
“We have been old advocates of ST status to Paharis since during the Prime Ministerialship of Indira Gandhi when Gujjars were given the ST status,” he said adding that thereafter, National Conference have been formally writing to the respective Governments in the Centre demanding ST status to paharis.
“In my government, we passed bill in the Legislative Assembly and the Council with 4 percent reservation to the Paharis, whatever we had but we want that the Government should clear to Gujjars that their share is intact even after ST status to paharis,” he added.
He however, also expressed resentment over alleged locking of gates of his residence and not allowed to move out.
“Is this democracy they are selling to the world. Is this normalcy and is this “Naya Jammu-Kashmir,” he said.
“This is my house and they are nobody to lock its egates,” said Abdullah.
On BJP’s claim “ab ki baar 400 paar,” Abdullah said, “no single vote is yet cast. Who knows who will get less than 400 or more than 400. Let’s wait and watch.”
