According to CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, the recent decision to reserve jobs for residents of the Ladakh region is yet another “half-hearted attempt” by the BJP government, which did not bother to consult the region’s two functional hill development councils.
‘CPI(M) stand on J&K Reorganisation Act-2019, through which the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was downgraded and divided into two Union Territories – J&K and Ladakh – is clear that it was unconstitutional, arbitrary, and against the interests of the people of the region,’ Taigami said in a statement to news agency GNS. It has already been challenged in the Supreme Court by the party.
“Article 35-A, which was unconstitutionally repealed by the BJP government along with Article 370 on August 5, 2019, was in place to protect the land and job rights of residents of the erstwhile state’s three regions. The unconstitutional decision harmed people in Kashmir, Jammu, and Ladakh in equal measure “, said Tarigami.
“The latest order issued by the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh is unclear on whether job applicants will be required to submit permanent residence certificates, as was the case prior to 2019, or domicile certificates. Unlike Ladakh, recruitment rules enacted last year in J&K allowed all domiciles, including those who had lived in the state for more than seven years or were studying in the UT up to class 12, to apply for jobs “, he explained.
‘A lot of corporate sector companies are already operating in the Ladakh region, and they have provided limited employment opportunities to outsiders.’
“We reiterate that if the BJP government truly wants to right its wrongs, it must restore J&K to its pre-5 August 2019 position. It won’t work to make half-hearted decisions to appease one region or one community “According to the statement, Tarigami also said.
The Chenab Times News Desk