Terming the new recruitment policy of Jammu and Kashmir government as "anti-reservation", around 200 members of various SC, ST and OBC organisations today staged a demonstration here to demand its immediate roll back.
Led by All India Confederation of SC, ST and OBC Organisation's state president R K Kalostra, the protesters claimed that the new policy was an attempt to deprive people belonging to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, backward and other reserved classes of their constitutionally-guaranteed right of reservation in employment.
Speaking to reporters, Kalostra warned the Mufti Sayeed- led government that they will launch a statewide agitation if the government does not not scrap the policy or implement the provisions of SC, ST, OBC reservation.
"With the formation of a new coalition government, the communities were hopeful that they would get due benefits of reservation. But by bringing this discriminatory recruitment policy, the present government has doubled the negative approach of previous government towards the SC/ST/OBC communities," Kalsotra said.
He urged ministers and legislators belonging to the community to respect their concerns and rights and called upon them to immediately convince the Chief Minister about the plight of SC, ST and OBC.
Another leader Zabeer Ahmed Bajjar also urged the government to revisit the new recruitment policy to protect and safeguard the community's interests.
"Reserved categories have already suffered a loss of more than 60,000 posts against regularised posts which were initially filled on contractual, adhoc and temporary basis in shapes of RET, REZ, SPO, Aganwadi workers, temporary appointment in PHE, PDD and rural development department and other public sectors undertakings and corporations.
"Instead of clearing the huge backlog, the government has unfortunately framed new recruitment policy with no reservation provision," he claimed.
All India Backward Classes Union's General Secretary Kali Dass demanded implementation of 27 percent reservation for OBCs as per Mandal Commission.
In a significant decision, the state government announced on April 20 that it has formulated a new recruitment policy to make appointment against gazetted and non-gazetted vacancies on contractual basis.
