Jammu and Kashmir’s top political parties on Saturday announced a 14-member committee, which includes some senior Kashmiri and Dogra leaders, to chalk out a strategy to fight the inclusion of non-locals in the revised electoral rolls of the Union Territory.
The Valley-based People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), which mostly includes Kashmiri leaders seeking the restoration of the undiluted Article 370, has succeeded in involving some senior voices from Jammu who are fighting for the rights of the Dogras.
Many Dogras had supported the Centre’s decision to scrap key provisions of Article 370 but anger has been brewing in Jammu’s Dogra heartland over fears that they will lose jobs and land to outsiders.
In August, Jammu and Kashmir’s top election officer, Hirdesh Kumar Singh, had stirred a row when he said the Union Territory might witness an addition of nearly 25 lakh voters, including non-local labourers, security forces personnel, students and businessmen, ordinarily residing in Jammu and Kashmir.
Following protests, the government tried to allay the fears and said most of the additions would be young local voters but did not deny that outsiders too would find a place in it.
Jammu and Kashmir’s non-BJP leadership has since held multiple meetings to work out a strategy for fighting against the inclusion of non-locals.
A statement by the Gupkar alliance said a 14-member committee had been set up to chalk out the strategy to fight “manipulation and inclusion” of non-locals in the revised electoral rolls.
The panel has members from the five PAGD constituents, as well as several other political parties including the Congress, Shiv Sena, Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party (DSSP) and the Dogra Sadar Sabha (DSS).
PAGD spokesperson M.Y. Tarigami said the panel would be headed by National Conference MP and retired judge Justice Hasnain Masoodi.
The other members include Raman Bala, working president of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress, MP Sheikh Abdul Rehman, National Conference provincial president (Jammu) Rattan Lal Gupta, People’s Democratic Party leaders Mehboob Beg and A.S. Reen, DSSP president and former minister Chowdhary Lal Singh and DSS president and former minister Gulchain Singh Charak.
The Shiv Sena’s Jammu and Kashmir unit chief, Manish Sawhney, CPM leader Hari Singh and International Democratic Party president I.D. Khujuria are also part of the committee.
Choudhary, who is fighting for statehood for Jammu, said Kashmiris and Dogras were united against the inclusion of outsiders in the electoral rolls, although his differences with Kashmiris on other issues remain.
“I will continue to fight for statehood for Jammu. At the same time, we have to fight unitedly to preserve Kashmiri identity and Dogra identity. I am fighting for Article 371, which will ensure security for locals over jobs and land,” Choudhary told The Telegraph.
“There is a lot of support (against giving outsiders rights over land and jobs) in Jammu. We will fight to further strengthen the demand, and after that gherao will follow.”
The BJP is wooing non-Kashmiri Muslim communities, such as the Gujjars and the Paharis, to widen their support base. Home minister Amit Shah, during a visit to Jammu and Kashmir this week, announced Scheduled Tribe status for the Paharis, who are mostly Muslim. This will be the first time any linguistic group will find a place in the ST list.
Tarigami said the 14-member committee was formed after deliberations and consultations in accordance with a decision taken at a meeting on September 10 that was headed by National Conference Farooq Abdullah.
