Various political parties on Wednesday criticised Centre’s new domicile rules for Jammu and Kashmir saying it did not fulfil any its promise on rights for people.
Cutting across political spectrum, leaders also said thatcentral government coming out with the domicile order was “ill-timed” as thesituation owing to Covid-19 was alarming.
National Conference said the new rules lacked insafeguarding interests of people of Jammu and Kashmir and termed it”unacceptable”.
NC chief spokesperson Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi said it was a”cruel joke on people”. “Only class fourth jobs have been reserved for theoriginal state subjects. What can be more demeaning than this?”, the spokesman said.
“The clause of extending domicile to everyone and anyone whohas lived in J&K for the past 15 years raises concern about demographychanges in J&K which may be brought in,” he said. “Even those who have beenposted as central government employees, PSUs, migrants in J&K can now enjoytheir share of jobs, biting off a huge chunk from the share of the locals,” thespokesman said. “How cruel the law is for the people of J&K, when it pavesway for a person from anywhere in India having studied here for 7 years or soto claim domicile? Is it possible for a student studying in other States tohave a similar stake there?” the spokesman said.
Calling the timing of the law an “insult upon injury,” theNC spokesman said, “When the entire country is battling with COVID19, andpeople and their representatives of J&K are bereft with worries andconcerns about their lives and of their families, GoI brings in the law.” Hesaid unlike in other states like Himachal Pradesh, where land rights have beenwell safeguarded by domicile law, in J&K’s domicile law, there is no suchprovision. He said the law offers no protection to the land belonging to thepeople of J&K.
Peoples Democratic Party termed the central government orderas “frighteningly ambivalent, irresolute and akin to rubbing salt to thepeople’s wounds.”
In a statement, PDP general secretary and former MLCSurinder Choudhary termed the order “ill-timed, very badly drafted and outcomeof confused and chaotic bureaucracy.” Choudhary said it seems that the order hasbeen deliberately issued at a time when the entire country as well as Jammu andKashmir is facing a dreadful threat due to the outbreak of the deadly virusresulting in a lockdown. Choudhary pitched for its immediate roll back, askingthe government of India to prioritise all its efforts in containing the spreadof COVID-19 in the country as well as in J&K.
J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president G A Mir saidthe youth feels betrayed by the domicile law. “Youth of J&K had beenstriving for the protection of their exclusive rights over jobs post abrogationof the special status of the erstwhile state but everytime they were beinghoodwinked,” Mir said.
“When the entire country is passing through a strictlockdown to prevent the spread of COVID 19, once again the government hasissued a notification which is totally unacceptable to the youth of J&K andwould deprive them of valuable rights to jobs in the government sector,” Mirsaid. Mir said government sector jobs were the only opportunities to the localyouth of J&K due to absence of private sector in the Valley “But now allthe jobs will go to outsiders,” he said.
Senior Congress leader Saif-u-din Soz said the UnionGovernment has indulged in “extreme short sightedness” to amend JK domicilelaws. “Such amendment can be done only on the advice of an elected governmentin the state,” Soz said.
Central Government’s order defining domicile law for JammuKashmir is another hoax by the Bhartiya Janata Party leadership with the peopleof J&K, CPI (M) said in a statement. “It has escalated fears among theresidents of Jammu and Kashmir losing not only jobs but also land to outsiderspost revocation of Article 370,” the statement said.
“Unemployment rate in Jammuand Kashmir is already higher than the average national unemployment rate. Withthe new law, whatever little jobs in government sector were being provided tothe youth of Jammu and Kashmir will no more be exclusive for them,” thestatement said.
BJP leader Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo welcomed the new rules.
In a statement, Chrungoosaid Government of India in its gazette notification has stated that a”migrant” registered by the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner would alsobe considered as domicile.
“The children of parentswho have stayed in J&K for 15 years or are registered as migrants wouldalso be considered as domicile,” Chrungoo said.
“Fresh registration of migrants should be immediatelystopped. This will protect the interests of the already registered migrants andtheir progeny,” Chrungoo said.