Political discontent over the reservation policy imposed by the BJP-led Indian government in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) continues to grow, with National Conference (NC) senior leader and Member of Indian Parliament, Ruhullah Mehdi, threatening to launch a protest against the policy.

According to a Kashmir Media Service report on Thursday, responding to a tweet highlighting the issue which pointed out that only 26% of jobs are allocated to the 70% Open Merit (OM) population – Mehdi condemned the policy and expressed his intent to stage a protest outside the residence of the IIOJK Chief Minister. ‘I have neither forgotten nor backtracked on the issue of rationalisation of reservation,’ Mehdi wrote, referring to the need for a fairer distribution of government jobs. He added that he had raised the matter directly with Omar Abdullah on two separate occasions.

Mehdi emphasized the need for swift action on the mater. ‘If the concerns regarding the rationalisation of reservation are not addressed, I will sit with all of you outside the residence or office of the Chief Minister,’ he warned.

The controversy surrounding the reservation policy has also attracted criticism from other political figures, including People’s Democratic Party MLA Waheed Parra. Parra challenged the NC-led government’s handling of the policy, citing a recent case in which, out of 575 lecturer posts referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) for recruitment, only 238 were allocated for open merit candidates, while 337 were reserved for other categories. He called this an injustice, urging Omar Abdullah to align the policy strictly with population demographics to ensure a fairer distribution.

The growing criticism reflects a broader dissatisfaction with the current reservation system, which critics argue disproportionately benefits certain groups while sidelining the open merit category. With the issue is gaining momentum, calls for an overhaul of the reservation policy have intensified.