Rotation system must be introduced in reservation of seats: Girish Sharma

A meeting of the General Samaj Manch (regd) Punjab was held at Khera locality under the chairmanship of District General Secretary Yogesh Prabhakar. Punjab State President Sardar Fateh Singh and State General Secretary Girish Sharma attended the meeting as special guests.

Addressing the gathering, Punjab President Fateh Singh alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government has failed to fulfil its promise of granting district status to Phagwara.

He stated that four years ago, the party committed that Phagwara would be given priority in the process of being declared a district, considering its historical identity as part of the erstwhile Kapurthala princely state. However, after the reorganisation, Phagwara was merged with Kapurthala district despite being located nearly 35 kilometres away with no geographical border connection. Singh said that residents continue to suffer due to administrative inconvenience and have been demanding district status for a long time. He added that with only one year of the government’s tenure remaining, citizens feel betrayed as the promise still remains unfulfilled.

State General Secretary Girish Sharma, while speaking on the issue of reservation, said that the Phagwara Assembly constituency has remained reserved for Scheduled Castes since 1962, while the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha constituency is also a reserved seat. He claimed that leaders elected from these constituencies overlook the concerns of the General Category.

Sharma demanded that a rotation system be implemented for reserved seats so that reservation continues without allowing any specific community to maintain prolonged control over a particular constituency. Speakers further stated that while the government has constituted commissions to safeguard the interests of different categories, it is unfortunate that no commission has been established for the General Samaj. They urged the government to form the General Samaj Commission without delay.