Jammu, March 22 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir’s ruling National Conference (NC) was planning to introduce the bill banning inter-district recruitment Monday but will now do so only after differences are resolved with alliance partner Congress that is unhappy at not being consulted.
The bill bars applicants from seeking jobs in districts other than their native ones.

“Congress has conveyed its displeasure to the chief minister (Omar Abdullah) over the announcement of the bill in such a manner. We should have been consulted. We have made our concerns known to the chief minister,” a senior Congress minister told IANS.

A cabinet meeting is being convened Monday evening to sort out the matter and “attempts are being made to find out a mutually agreeable path” by the National Conference and the Congress, the minister said.

“Congress is opposed to the bill because it would snatch eight percent reservation in jobs from the Scheduled Caste community in the state. The community has been backing Congress in the polls and with municipal polls in May, the party cannot afford to lose its votes,” a party official told IANS, adding that the bill would be introduced in the assembly only after an agreement with the Congress.

There is no Scheduled Caste population in the valley and the legislators have shown resentment over the reservation of 8 percent for the SC candidates. The Kashmir Valley is dominated by Muslims, with less than 2,000 Kashmiri Hindus.