BJP seeks to drop Urdu from J&K exam; NC, PDP call it cultural erasure
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New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) push to drop the Urdu language requirement from the upcoming Naib Tehsildar recruitment exam in Jammu and Kashmir has sparked a political controversy, with the National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accusing the party of attempting cultural erasure.
The controversy stems from a notification issued on Monday by the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board for the recruitment of 75 revenue department posts. The notification specified that candidates would be assessed for their “working knowledge of Urdu,” a language commonly used in revenue records, land settlements, legal correspondence, and court rulings in the Union Territory.
Despite Urdu’s historical role in the region’s administration, BJP leaders have opposed its mandatory inclusion. On Thursday, BJP MLA and Leader of the Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Sunil Sharma, along with the party’s state unit president Sat Sharma, met Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, seeking his intervention in the matter.
Sunil Sharma argued that since Jammu and Kashmir has five official languages, making only Urdu compulsory violates the constitutional principles of equal opportunity and administrative impartiality. He claimed the requirement imposes an unfair barrier that disproportionately affects aspirants from the Jammu Division.
The National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party strongly opposed the BJP’s demand, warning that it undermines Jammu and Kashmir’s cultural heritage and administrative foundations. NC MLA Tanvir Sadiq told The Hindu that Urdu’s role in the region’s revenue, judicial, and governance systems is “historically established” and not part of any “political or sectarian agenda.” He said sidelining the language would be “historically dishonest” and could lead to serious administrative and legal disruptions.
Sadiq asserted that the NC is committed to safeguarding Jammu and Kashmir’s historical institutions, cultural identity, and governance continuity. “We reject any attempt to politicize or communalize the status of Urdu for short-term gains,” he added.
PDP leader and Pulwama MLA Waheed-ur-Rehmaan Parra also criticised the BJP’s proposal, calling it a move that risks erasing Jammu and Kashmir’s rich cultural archive and legacy. “Urdu is more than a language; it’s a key part of the region’s heritage,” he said, warning that undermining it would “divide communities and rewrite memory.”
PDP leader Naeem Akhtar echoed similar concerns, pointing out that Urdu has served as Jammu and Kashmir’s official language for centuries. He urged the National Conference-led administration to stand firm against what he described as the BJP’s “hate for the language,” as reported by The Hindu.
