BY: ZUBAIR QURESHI/IANS
Srinagar: There has been a wave of happiness in the Gujjar, Bakarwal and Pahari tribes of Jammu and Kashmir after the President nominated a tribal member for the Rajya Sabha.
Manzoor Ahmad Bajar, a man belonging to the Gujjar tribe, termed it as a welcome step and said that now he feels that the Jammu and Kashmir government and the Centre have fulfilled their commitment to give equal rights to every section of the society.
In the order issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, it was stated that the President has nominated Ghulam Ali as a member of the Council by using the powers conferred by sub-clause a of Article 80 of the Constitution of India.
This is the second time that a member of the Gujjar Muslim community of Jammu and Kashmir has been nominated to the Upper House.
The Rajya Sabha member-elect, while talking to the Milap News Network, expressed his sincere gratitude to President Draupati Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Ali said that he has always been with the poor people, especially the nomads and the Gujjar Bakarwal class, adding that he has been working for the poor students in the field of education for the past 25 years and will continue to do so.
He said that he is the voice of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the issues raised here in the Rajya Sabha and will try hard to fulfil the responsibility given to him.
The tribal people living in Jammu and Kashmir are not only happy but also have confidence in him.
According to a person belonging to a mountain tribe named Ghulam Rasool, with this decision, he is convinced that the present government is thinking about the backward classes as well.
He said that now he is fully convinced that the Central government will also find a solution to the treatment of Pahari tribe for the last 70 years and will also include the Pahari tribe in the Scheduled Tribes (ST).
It should be noted that the Pahari tribes living in Jammu and Kashmir have been struggling to be included in the ST category since long.
Ghulam Ali is a resident of Bhatindi area of Jammu and has worked as a spokesman of the BJP and also in its IT cell.
He is an engineer by profession and has been associated with the party for almost 14 years.
His nomination to the Rajya Sabha is yet another step taken by India towards Modi’s ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ vision.
