Demanding two seats in the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly besides the minority status is a genuine demand of Sikhs in the union territory. The demand came a day after the Centre moved a bill in the Parliament recently to reserve two seats for Kashmiri Pandits and one for PoK in the J&K Assembly. Sikhs have every right to press for their demands for political participation and minority status. The community accounts for more than 1.5 lakh of the total population of J&K. Sikhs have also played an important role in defending the country. The political leaders as well as the other communities here need to stand by the demands of Sikhs who have been continuously highlighting the issue of employment and reservations. They have raised a genuine question that if the government is not holding back in giving representation to the marginalised communities of J&K, including Kashmiri Pandits, Gujjars, and Paharis, by giving them reserved constituencies, job reservations, ST status, and even rehabilitation packages, then why is the Sikh community being isolated and laid back? The governments at the Centre and the Union Territory should fulfill the Sikh community’s demands for “inclusivity, justice, and equitable representation”. All they want is the reservation of at least two to three seats in the legislative assembly so that the community can gain their “rightful place” in the socio-economic fabric within the community.
