The members of the Pahari Ethnic Group in Jammu and Kashmir have once again set their eyes on the last Budget session for consideration and passing of the bill granting Scheduled Tribe status to the Pahari tribe, Paddari tribe, Koli, and Gadda Brahmins.
In the absence of any direct communication with the Union government, the community leaders are left with no other option but to pin all their hopes on the last budget session.
When contacted on the telephone, senior Pahari community leader Syed Mushtaq Bukhari told The Pioneer, "As of now I have no information whether the government is going to pass the bill in the last budget session or not. Let me gather some more information then only I can comment".
Originally the Reservation bill to amend the Reservation Act in Parliament to grant ST status to the Pahari Ethnic Tribe (Pahari Kabila), Paddari Tribe, Koli and Gadda Brahman was introduced on the floor of the house in July 2023 along with two other bills for nomination of two Kashmiri Pandits and one Pakistan occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) refugee in the UT Assembly and grant of reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Government jobs and educational institutions in Jammu and Kashmir. Out of the three, two bills were passed by the Parliament in its winter session in December 2023 while the ST status bill was not taken up.
When approached for comments a senior BJP leader from the Rajouri-Poonch belt of Jammu province told The Pioneer that the Union government is expected to take the final call on the crucial bill during the last budget session.
The BJP leader claimed the poll prospects of the party candidate contesting Rajouri-Poonch Anantnag Lok Sabha seat are directly linked with the outcome of the Reservation bill. Paharis are mostly settled in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu region and Baramulla and Kupwara districts in the Kashmir division. The Paddari tribe is settled mainly in the Paddar area of Kishtwar district which is one of the remotest areas in the erstwhile Doda region while Koli & Gadda Brahmans are spread in different areas but their population is very small.
Party insiders, however, claimed the union government may give it a skip this time as well as the party was not keen on annoying the members of the Gujjar Bakerwal community ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. BJP, which is hoping to win maximum Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir cannot afford to antagonize the tribal population spread across the Pir Panjal region and parts of North Kashmir in Kupwara
The Union government has earlier clarified that the reservation of Gujjars and Bakerwals will not be affected while extending ST status to Paharis. But on-ground resistance displayed by a large section of the population has raised many eyebrows.
Out of the nine seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes in the 90-member Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, a total number of five seats are reserved for STs in the Jammu division and four in Kashmir.
