J&K Cong hits out at Centre, BJP over ‘betrayal’ on domicile issue

Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress on Wednesday strongly reacted to Centre’s new domicile rules for for appointments to government posts in the Union Territory, terming it as a cruel joke with the local youth.

Nearly eight months after withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, the central government on Wednesday laid down rules for domicile which can now be given to anyone who has resided in the Union Territory for 15 years.

J&K Congress Chief G A Mir said it was another betrayal by the BJP with the youth of Jammu and Kashmir and demanded that the Union Territory be granted special status under schedule six of the Constitution on the lines of the seven northeastern states.

After several months of rhetorical statements by the government and BJP leaders promising the youth of J&K to protect their rights in government jobs and assuring that abrogation of special status would in no way affect their rights, the youth feels betrayed now, Mir said.

He said, the youth has been striving for the protection of their exclusive rights over government jobs post abrogation of the special status of the erstwhile state but they have been hoodwinked.

He also questioned the timing of the decision, saying at a time when the country is under a lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Centre has issued a notification which is totally unacceptable to the people of J&K as it would deprive them of their valuable rights on jobs in the government sector.

Mir said government jobs were the only option for the local youth to earn a livelihood due to the non-existent private sector but now the government opened the doors for outsiders.

“Now, all gazetted and higher posts would go to the new cadre and jobs up to the lowest level of non-gazetted rank will be reserved for Jammu and Kashmir youth.

This worries the locals and they are feeling cheated,” Mir said. The former minister argued that like the country’s northeastern states, Jammu and Kashmir too is a hilly region with large boundaries and different cultures as well other relevant factors and therefore, it should be treated as a special region and its statehood be restored.

PTI