Jammu and Kashmir: Row erupts over BJP call to drop Urdu criteria from test

SRINAGAR: Urdu is the latest flashpoint between political parties in Jammu and Kashmir. A day after J&K BJP brass sought LG Manoj Sinha's intervention for scrapping the mandatory Urdu test for recruitments to naib tehsildar (revenue official) post, opposition PDP on Friday pushed back and asked the Omar Abdullah govt not to bow to pressure, even as governing National Conference (NC) has kept mum so far, reports Naseer Ganai."Urdu has been the official language of J&K for centuries. At least 70% of the population is familiar with the language in written and spoken form. All revenue records are preserved in this language. BJP's dislike for Urdu should be resisted by the NC govt," PDP spokesperson Naeem Akhtar said.Party MLA Waheed Parra said BJP's demand to remove Urdu from the revenue exam, if accepted, would risk erasing J&K's rich archive and cultural legacy.

"Urdu is more than a language - it is a key part of J&K's heritage," he said.The controversy erupted after J&K Services Selection Board on June 9 issued an advertisement for 75 posts of naib tehsildar, specifying 'working knowledge of Urdu' as a mandatory requirement. BJP protested the move, saying it violated constitutional principles of equal opportunity and administrative impartiality and created an unfair barrier, putting aspirants from Jammu in a disadvantageous position as they usually studied Hindi and Punjabi languages.

Party leaders said J&K had five official languages and giving preference to one of these in recruitment exams was discriminatory.NC has refrained from making an official statement on the controversy.