Srinagar: Chaos erupted in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Tuesday after BJP MLA from Doda West, Shakti Parihar, accused the government of regional bias in transfers within the education department.
Parihar alleged that while transfer orders were being implemented in Kashmir, the Jammu region was being ignored, triggering heated exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches.
Education Minister Sakina Ittoo dismissed the allegations, saying the BJP was “habitual of crying discrimination.”
“There is no discrimination,” she asserted.
Citing recruitment data, the minister said 350 appointments were made in Kashmir compared to 860 in Jammu.
“The Departmental Promotion Committees are already in process. Transfers began from Poonch and Rajouri but were put on hold due to objections,” she added.
Ittoo further clarified that there was a blanket ban on recruitment, with 1,500 posts frozen by the previous administration.
“The education department was on the verge of collapse. I am thankful to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for de-freezing 50 per cent of the posts,” she said.
Pointing towards the BJP benches, she remarked, “They should tell us where they have brought the education department.”
Following the exchange, the House resumed normal proceedings.
