Srinagar: National Conference Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has warned the J&K government to resolve the reservation issue before the Winter Session of Parliament concludes, saying he will join protests if no action is taken. The Winter Session will run from December 1 to 19 with 15 working days.
Mehdi has backed general-category candidates seeking a review of the reservation policy and accused the UT administration of neglecting the concerns of educated youth. Citing recent developments at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), the Budgam MP said the situation highlights the “agony” and “hopelessness” faced by aspirants. “Doesn’t today’s case in Vaishno Devi University about students with merit open their eyes?” he asked in a post on X.
Last December, Mehdi joined student protests outside Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s residence demanding rationalisation of quotas. Abdullah later set up a Cabinet sub-committee to examine grievances and submit a report within six months. On October 16, Abdullah announced that the Cabinet had accepted the panel’s report and sent it to the lieutenant governor for approval.
Mehdi, however, criticised delays in the process. “Those six months have turned into a year… before the Budgam by-election, they said few days. Those few days are now more than a month,” said Mehdi, who distanced himself from campaigning in the bypoll that the NC eventually lost. He added that even a future resolution cannot compensate for the “years lost” by job aspirants and vacancies already filled.
Mehdi declared that if the government fails to act by December 20, he will rejoin the protesters. “I will sit with them again the way we did last December — and this time, it will not be for a day,” he said.
In another post, Mehdi criticised the BJP for objecting to Muslims outnumbering Hindus in MBBS admissions at SMVDU, saying the argument that Muslim students shouldn’t study at the state-funded university because of Hindu donors is flawed. He questioned what he called the BJP’s “selective use of religion,” pointing out the contradiction between appointing non-Muslims to Waqf boards while objecting to Muslim students enrolling at SMVDU.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also rejected the BJP’s stance, stressing that admissions at SMVDU must be merit-based. He said that granting MBBS seats without merit would require Supreme Court approval. This year, SMVDIME was sanctioned 50 MBBS seats, of which 42 were reportedly allotted to students from one community, triggering controversy and demands from Hindu groups for minority status for the institute. Officials maintained that admissions were made purely on merit, as no religious reservation applies.
