Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said that the Cabinet has accepted the sub-committee’s report on the Union Territory’s reservation policy and will forward it to the Lieutenant Governor for final approval.
“There’s no point in speculating. Only Cabinet members know what the report contains. So, to guess what has been changed or reduced would be incorrect at this stage,” Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar. “The sub-committee’s report has been accepted by the Cabinet, and the concerned department has been directed to prepare a memo for approval. Once cleared, it will go to the LG, as all Cabinet decisions do.”
Responding to opposition claims that the government had reduced the quota for the Resident of Backward Area (RBA) category, Abdullah said it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the report’s details before it reaches the Raj Bhawan.
“For me to discuss the contents of the memo before it reaches the LG would not be proper,” he said, adding that the reservation policy will be made public only after receiving the lieutenant governor’s approval.
On demands to make the report public immediately, the chief minister asserted that governance cannot be dictated by pressure.
“No government functions under pressure, and I’m certainly not someone who can be pressured into acting hastily. There’s a laid-down procedure, and it’s being followed. Releasing information that hasn’t even reached the LG would not only be improper—it would be almost illegal,” Abdullah said.
