STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: It is indeed a great relief to the members of Scheduled Caste (SC) community that in the changed scenario after the reorganisation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, they need not to obtain separate caste certificates for availing the reservation benefits under central and UT government.
This was stated by Balbir Ram Rattan, Spokesperson of Jammu and Kashmir BJP, who shared that prior to the abrogation of Article-370, lakhs of SCs in the then state had to produce one caste certificate for jobs under J&K government or seeking benefits of welfare schemes and a different certificate for central government jobs.
It was totally unjustified and the SCs bore the brunt of such practice for decades together after independence.
Balbir said that although the successive governments in J&K had ministers belonging to the SC community but none of them dared to raise the issue for the simple reason of remaining in good books of their Kashmiri masters as the erstwhile state always had Chief Ministers and heads of political parties like Congress, NC and PDD, from Valley.
As for BJP, Balbir said that the party leaders continuously raised the burning issues and problems of SCs and when it was in power as coalition partner for three and half years, it succeeded in ending the practice of bringing new SROs after every twelve to fifteen years with regard to issuance of new caste certificates and nullifying the previous ones.
Balbir further said that the BJP had been agitating for grant of Citizenship rights to West Pakistan refugees for decades after independence and more than 70 per cent among them belonged to the SC community. It speaks of the concern of BJP for this community.