Srinagar: All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina on Tuesday asked the Sikhs to remain away from the delimitation exercise as there was no reservation for the community in Jammu and Kashmir.
Raina said there was no point in meeting the members of the Delimitation Commission given the fact that the people at the helm are indifferent towards the issues of minorities in the union territory.
He said the commission would lose its credibility if the minorities are not taken on board.
“I appeal to the community members to remain aloof from any process of delimitation of constituencies. They should take part in the process only when some seats are reserved for minorities in the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly,” Raina said.
The Sikh leader said many constituencies in both Kashmir and Jammu divisions have a huge number of Sikh voters and they hold the key to the fate of politicians who fight elections from such constituencies.
“In the past, we have been demanding reservation in assembly segments, but the demand was never considered by political parties and the Delimitation Commission. The present Delimitation Commission initiated by the Ministry of Home Affairs has been tasked to set up a new state of Jammu & Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 by Parliament,” Raina said.
