BJP MLAs stage protest against making Urdu compulsory for NT exam

Jammu, July 14: The 28 MLAs of Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday held a protest demonstration demanding revocation of the government order mandating Urdu as a compulsory language for the Naib Tehsildar recruitment examination. BJP MLAs assembled outside the civil secretariat at Jammu and held a protest terming the step as an injustice with the youth of Jammu region.  The MLAs of the saffron party arrived at the Civil Secretariat in the morning and staged a dharna, calling the order discriminatory and detrimental to the interests of Jammu’s youth.Carrying placards, the BJP MLAs and other leaders raised slogans against the government and Omar Abdullah, accusing the NC of trying to create unrest and discriminating with the Jammu region.“We are staging the dharna against the decision to make Urdu mandatory for Naib Tehsildar examinations in Jammu and Kashmir, which is not acceptable to the BJP,” BJP MLA and former minister, Sham Lal Sharma said.He said, “Kashmir-centric parties, particularly the National Conference (NC), have been discriminating against the Jammu region for decades.”“By making Urdu mandatory for such important posts in the government, the NC rulers have overruled previous provisions where knowing the language Urdu was not compulsory,” Sharma said.Sharma said that 14 BJP MLAs had even met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over the issue. “His approach was positive but still, no action has been taken, and tomorrow is the last day to apply for the posts,” he said. Earlier the Leader of Opposition (LoP), Sunil Sharma, had written a letter to the Lieutenant Governor (LG), Manoj Sinha, and also to the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, demanding revocation of the government order making Urdu as compulsory subject in recruitment for Naib Tehsildar exams.