Handwara, May 28: People’s Conference (PC) President and Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Handwara, Sajad Lone on Wesnesday criticised the Jammu and Kashmir government’s approach to reservations. He expressed deep disappointment over what he described as a “bureaucratic gibberish” approach that prioritises votes over merit or upliftment.
“The issue of reservations is all set to come up for discussion again. I will be honest. I don’t have a lot of hope,” Lone said. “The committee formed by the present government is a typical run-of-the-mill, time-buying, excuse-making bureaucratic gibberish. It will end up with either seeking another date or come up with a statement mired in ambiguity, or a decision to make one more committee.”
In a post on X Lone said. “The government neither has the brain nor the brawn. You really do need brains to understand the complexities of reservation in J & K. And you need a lot of brawn to take a principled stand on it.”
“From what I have understood, the present government is blinded by lust for votes. They can’t see beyond the ballot box. And reservation for them is more about electoral arithmetic than social upliftment or merit,” he added.
According to Lone, the government’s internal assessment suggests that “open merit wallas” do not constitute a reliable vote bank due to their ideological diversity, which leads the political class to ignore their concerns.
“But reservations, I believe, have emerged as the biggest challenge to us as a society post-1947. We have to look at it objectively and comparatively. Objective evaluation would mean assessing the costs inflicted upon society by suppressing merit. And comparative evaluation would mean assessing factors specific to J & K.”
He continued, “I refuse to trivialize the concept of reservations by relegating it to snatching employment from person A and giving it to person B. That is a part of the problem. The damage is much more.”
Calling for moderation, the PC Chief said, “Reservations have to be at an optimal level. They cannot be excessive. Excess of reservations crowds out talent, disincentivizes intellect, and sets in motion a process which subjugates meritocracy for all times to come.”
MLA Handwara said that in J&K, reservation has taken on more than just a social dimension. “It is unfortunately also a political tool; it is regrettably also a retributive tool. The planners and perpetrators are in search of a new normal in the society and reservations is their magical reset button,” he said, accusing the successive local governments of complicity.
Lone said rationalisation in reservations is a challenge for any government.
However, he maintained that a way forward does exist.
“I am convinced there is a solution. And for that you need to be able to comprehend the problem in all its shades and forms. And you also need the will and courage to take on those who want to script a new normal in our society. The problem of reservations is simply not about numbers. It is much more. And it is a post-dated cheque for disaster. Societal resets have not worked anywhere in the world and will not work here,” he said.
