PDP leader and MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra. File
| Photo Credit: Nissar Ahmad
Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday (October 17, 2025) decried the Omar Abdullah government’s likely move to revise the Resident of Backward Area (RBA) category, saying “it will dilute Kashmiri representation under the guise of administrative rationalisation.”
“The recently approved reservation matrix is a political project aimed at diluting Kashmiri representation under the guise of administrative rationalisation. Kashmiris gave Omar Abdullah a historic mandate to defend their rights — yet he stands with the most anti-Kashmiri decision in decades,” PDP leader and MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra said.
Mr. Parra’s remarks came amid the reports that the Cabinet Sub-Committee, constituted to look into the ‘skewed’ reservation, was doing away with the RBA category, which currently has a 10 percent reservation for people living in far-off areas of J&K. In J&K, the quota for reserved categories rose to over 60% and the open category was reduced to less than 40%, after the Centre during the Lieutenant Governor’s rule increased the reservation quota of Scheduled Tribes by 20% by including Paharis and increased the Other Backward Classes quota to 8%.
Mr. Parra said the J&K government’s decision to alter the reservation policy was an act of political manipulation. “It directly undermines the core principles of regional balance and fair representation. The new reservation matrix is a political project to dilute Kashmiri representation. We seek the immediate release of the sub-cabinet committee report,” Mr. Parra said.
He said the very mission Sheikh Abdullah, founder of the ruling National Conference (NC), started for Kashmiri empowerment “was now being reversed by his own party to defend an illegal, BJP-driven reservation policy.”
Meanwhile, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said the Cabinet Sub-Committee, headed by Education Minister Sakina Itoo, has completed its work on reservation changes and the file was now being routed for final approval.
“The Cabinet approved that report. Now the memo is being prepared and, through circulation, we will approve it and send it to the L-G sahib. That was also a promise made to our people,” Mr. Abdullah said.
On land rights bills in the Assembly, Mr. Abdullah said, “If any Bill comes before the House which benefits the people of Jammu and Kashmir, my government will not create obstacles in its passage.”
“A Bill had already been introduced by his party colleague Tanvir Sadiq, suggesting correction of the Land Grants Act, which was amended after 2019. Now I don’t know whether Mr. Sadiq’s Bill will be taken up in the House or not. The Bill the PDP has prepared whether it will be tabled or not depends on the due procedure,” Mr. Abdullah added.
The PDP has introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Land Rights and Regularisation Bill as a private member bill before the J&K Assembly to safeguards the land rights of locals and stop the ongoing process of eviction of hoteliers from Gulmarg hill station.
Published – October 18, 2025 05:56 am IST
