It is discriminatory language policy: BJP

Jammu, Jul 9: J&K Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership Wednesday denounced the move to make Urdu language a mandatory qualification for Naib Tehsildar posts by terming it as a “deliberate attempt to marginalise the youth of Jammu region.”

In a meeting of BJP MLAs at the party headquarters in Trikuta Nagar, Jammu presided over by J&K BJP president Sat Sharma and addressed by Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly Sunil Sharma and BJP general secretary (organization) Ashok Koul, the BJP leaders alleged, “This is a calculated move to deprive Jammu’s youth of equal opportunities.”

“The imposition of Urdu mirrors the divisive and exclusionary policies once pursued by the Omar Abdullah-led government. We will not allow the repetition of such injustice,” the party leadership said in a joint statement released after the meeting.

The BJP leaders asserted that such a move was a clear violation of the equal status to multiple official languages including Dogri, Hindi, Kashmiri, Urdu, and English. It was also emphasised that revenue passbooks were already issued in three languages i.e. Urdu, Hindi, and English making the imposition of mandatory Urdu language knowledge both unnecessary and unjustified.

The party demanded an immediate rollback of the decision and warned of launching a mass agitation if the order was not withdrawn. The meeting also highlighted the plight of shopkeepers in Nai Basti who were being displaced due to the highway extension project. The party urged the administration to fulfill its commitment to rehabilitate the affected traders adequately.