The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a strong protest at Dr B. R. Ambedkar Chowk (Panama Chowk) in Jammu on Tuesday, expressing sharp opposition to the government’s decision to make Urdu language compulsory for the recently advertised Naib Tehsildar posts.
The demonstration saw participation from leaders and workers representing six organizational districts. Protesters accused the administration of promoting regional and linguistic bias and warned that the decision resembled the Kashmir-centric policies of the former Omar Abdullah-led National Conference government.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta criticised the move, calling it “divisive” and reminiscent of past “discriminatory governance.”
“Making Urdu mandatory reflects the same policies which Omar Abdullah’s government propagated during its tenure,” Gupta said, while addressing the gathering.
District Development Council (DDC) Chairman Bharat Bhushan demanded an immediate rollback of the decision, arguing that the youth of Jammu were being unfairly excluded from job opportunities.
“It is unacceptable that the majority of youth in Jammu and Kashmir are being deprived of government jobs because of a language requirement,” Bhushan said.
Other BJP leaders echoed the sentiment. MLA Arvind Gupta described the policy as a “violation of equity and meritocracy,” while MLA Prof Gharu Ram Bhagat called the Urdu condition “unfair and unconstitutional.”
MLA Ch. Vikram Randhawa issued a stern warning to the administration, saying, “We will not remain silent. If this policy is not scrapped, our agitation will spread to every district.”
Following the protest, BJP leaders submitted a memorandum to the Divisional Commissioner, demanding the immediate removal of the Urdu language criterion for Naib Tehsildar recruitment. The memorandum also called for safeguarding equitable employment access and recognizing the Union Territory’s linguistic diversity.
The protest was coordinated by Advocate Rajesh Gupta and joined by several senior leaders including MLAs Surinder Bhagat, Dr. Rajeev Bhagat, and Mohan Lal Bhagat, DDC Vice Chairperson Suraj Singh, and other prominent figures such as former Jammu Mayor Rajinder Sharma, Veenu Khanna, Anju Dogra, Ayodhya Gupta, and Rakesh Mahajan.
The BJP has pledged to intensify its campaign if the government does not reconsider the policy.
