Srinagar: To protest what they term as government’s apathy towards them, the Sikh community of Kashmir has threatened to not participate in upcoming parliamentary elections.
According to a report , the community leaders claim that neither central nor the state government has paid heed to their long pending demands of extension of Minority Community Act to the state and introduction of Punjabi language in the schools and colleges.
Chairman of All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee Jagmohan Said that the community is facing discrimination for no fault of others. “We have decided to not participate in the Lok Sabha elections as a mark of protest. This our silent way of conveying that we are angry and have not been treated well,” He said.
Raina alleged that subsequent governments have always made false promises and ditched the community. He informed that there is a population of 3.2lakh Sikhs in the state, with around 80,000 in Kashmir alone.
“We have no representation in any power structure. We were given some jobs under non migrant minority category, which was again taken away by a different community with the help of PDP government,” Manmeet Singh of United Sikh Forum told.
