Govt can't choke majority population for political gains: Altaf Bukhari

Srinagar, Dec 9: Raising sharp concern over the new reservation and merit policies in Jammu and Kashmir, Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari on Tuesday said the government was creating “injustice and imbalance” by altering open merit and category quotas without proper population-based assessment.

As per KNS, he said the majority population “cannot be choked for political gains,” and added that reservation must follow logic, data and fairness.

Bukhari said that if Muslim students can study in Islamic University or Baba Ghulam Shah University without restrictions, the same principle must apply everywhere. According to him, the objection raised in the Vaishnodevi case suggests political involvement.

Speaking on the BJP, Bukhari said the party was taking steps that could “damage the foundations of the country”. He said the party often presents itself as a champion of merit and transparency but questioned why, despite such claims, decisions such as these were taking place. Speaking on the reservation policy, Bukhari said the government had increased open merit by 10% while distributing 70% and 50% to others, which he said was not fair. He said reservation must be aligned with population data and not arbitrarily increased.

He said that the Apni Party was not against reservation but said that if a community has 5 per cent population, giving it 10 per cent  reservation was not justified. He said the government must announce a cut-off date and issue an apology for past decisions which, according to him, created confusion and fear.

Bukhari added that the narrative of “lion and goat” profiling must end and said the government cannot impose fear on every doctor or aspirant.

While speaking on the November 10 incident in which a doctor turned suicide bomber, Bukhari said that one case should not lead to profiling of all doctors. He said such incidents happen because the voices of the youth are not being heard and added that Delhi must examine whether its policies are pushing even educated young people in the wrong direction.

Speaking on political outreach, Bukhari said the Apni Party had increased its reach post-election and was meeting senior party workers in different constituencies to spread its agenda.