Jammu, Jan 24: Criticising the National Conference’s claims of championing land reforms in Jammu and Kashmir, Ranbir Singh Pathania, the BJP spokesperson and MLA from Udhampur East, branded the reforms as discriminatory, anti-Dogra and deeply rooted in vindictive politics.
Speaking at a gathering of the Nayak/Jatav/Khatik/Bagri Samaj in Ballimaran, Delhi, Pathania asserted that the land reforms initiated by Sheikh Abdullah failed to deliver equitable land distribution or address the welfare of the landless, instead prioritising narrow political interests.
Pathania said there was selective application of land reforms in Jammu and Kashmir. He highlighted the Big Landed Estates Abolition Act and the Agrarian Reforms Act, which he claimed primarily targeted landowners in Jammu, especially the Dogra community. “While wealthy orchard owners in Kashmir were exempt from land ceiling laws, the implementation of these reforms disproportionately affected Jammu’s landholders, violating the principles of equality and justice,” he said.
The BJP leader added, “Unlike in other parts of India, where land reforms were aimed at fostering social justice and offering compensation to dispossessed landowners, the reforms in Jammu and Kashmir ignored these basic rights.”
The MLA said that during the period of these reforms, the ‘Right to Property’ was a fundamental right under both the Indian and Jammu & Kashmir constitutions, making the lack of compensation particularly egregious.
Pathania said that unlike in other parts of the country, land reforms in Jammu & Kashmir were selectively enforced. “Successful land reform efforts were made in several Indian states, including Maharashtra and West Bengal, where comprehensive measures aimed to uplift the landless and ensure fair compensation for landowners. Jammu & Kashmir’s land reform policies were primarily designed to weaken the Dogra landholding class, driven by Sheikh Abdullah’s personal political vendettas rather than a genuine commitment to social equity,” he said.
The MLA decried the National Conference’s governance which, he said, left everyday Kashmiris disillusioned and impoverished while benefiting an elite few. “National Conference’s administrations over the past seven decades denied basic human rights to marginalised groups, including women, refugees and Valmikis, who were deprived of voting rights and property ownership,” he said.
Pathania lauded the changes following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. He cited improvements in security, governance and development in the region, saying that Jammu & Kashmir is now on a path toward inclusive growth and prosperity under the leadership of the Government of India.
