Srinagar, Oct 17: PDP MLA Waheed Para on Friday strongly condemned the Jammu and Kashmir government’s decision to reduce the Residents of Backward Areas (RBA) quota, terming it a “calculated attempt to disempower” Kashmiris.
Addressing the issue on X, the Pulwama legislator accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of supporting the “disempowerment agenda” instead of defending equity. “The J&K government’s cabinet sub committee decision to slash the RBA quota under the guise of ‘rationalisation’ is a calculated attempt to disempower Kashmiris,” Para said.
The Chief Minister on Thursday stated that the Cabinet had accepted the sub committee’s report on reservations, which will now be sent to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for approval. The contents of the report, however, have not been disclosed.
The Cabinet sub-committee was set up on December 10 last year to examine grievances raised by various aspirants regarding the existing reservation policy in the Union Territory.
“By endorsing this move, Omar Abdullah isn’t protecting fairness; he’s advancing a deliberate agenda to weaken Kashmiri representation,” Para added.