Jammu, Dec. 4 -- Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said his government has rationalised the reservation policy in the "best possible manner" to ensure justice to all sections and fulfil a key poll promise. However, he refused to divulge details, saying the proposal has been forwarded to Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha for his approval, and it would be inappropriate to comment further until the file receives his consent. Talking to reporters after chairing the first cabinet meeting in Jammu since the resumption of the darbar move, an exercise under which the government functions for six months each in Srinagar during summer and in Jammu during winter. "There were 22 items of agenda, including the reservation policy. The issue was taken up but without signing minutes of the meeting and before sending it (file) to the LG, it would be inappropriate on my part to discuss it here. I will just say that we have tried to rationalise it as we have promised. We have also tried not to be unjust to anyone," the chief minister said. Reservation has become a major issue in Jammu and Kashmir following the Centre's decision to add more communities to the reserved category and expand quotas in the Union Territory (UT) over the past five years. There have been growing objections to the Centre's move to push the reservation quota to 70% in the UT, following last year's announcements introducing a separate 10% reservation for Paharis and other tribes and enhancing the OBC quota to 8%. The chief minister said the reservation policy was one of the 22 items on the agenda for the cabinet meeting. "We discussed many things like construction of the new Kashmir House in Delhi's Dwarka, proposal of chief engineers in the roads and buildings department, and how to revive co-operative societies in a new way, besides the reservations," Abdullah said. On December 10 last year, the government had constituted a cabinet sub-committee to look into grievances raised by various sections of aspirants against the existing reservation policy in the UT. The sub-committee forwarded its report in October, and accordingly, the report and its review by the law department were completed. Abdullah justified the time taken, saying it was because "the issue is such that it is very easy to do politics with it". "The cabinet has tried to adopt a transparent and fair process. Now, the matter will go to the LG. I will not say anything more until the file reaches him. Whatever you want to believe, you can believe it. We could not have done a more detailed exercise than this. Every issue was seen and discussed more than once. This is the third or fourth time that the matter came to the cabinet after the sub-committee headed by minister Sakina Itoo submitted its report. We did our best to resolve this matter," Abdullah said. On the stance of National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on the reservation issue, the chief minister said: "This is not about an individual. This is about the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and we have fulfilled another election promise by completing this process." Abdullah added that people who were "taunting" the government, claiming it did not do anything about the reservation, are threatening protests if injustice is done to any section. Mehdi had recently asked the National Conference-led government in the UT to resolve the reservation issue before the winter session of Parliament ends, saying he would join the quota protests if no action was taken. The government had been mulling rationalising reservation quotas in certain categories, such as resident of backward areas (RBA) and economically weaker sections (EWS), to accommodate the proposed hike by 10% for candidates from the general category and taking it to 40% from the present 30%. Without touching reserved categories like SC, ST, and OBC, the government intends to hike 10% for the candidates of general category to ensure 40% share to open merit, which has been squeezed to 30% and in some cases to a miniscule 20%. The new reservation policy was introduced by the lieutenant governor-led administration before the 2024 assembly elections. For the reserved categories, the reservation has gone up to 70% and in some cases up to 80%. Abdullah urged the Election Commission to brief all political parties on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to address lingering concerns and ensure transparency in the electoral process. He said elections must always be fair and transparent, leaving no room for any complaint or suspicion, which is the responsibility of the EC. "If there are apprehensions with regard to SIR, the EC should call all political parties and brief them about the exercise and address all the concerns," Abdullah said. His remarks come in the backdrop of objections raised on the SIR exercise by many non-NDA parties. The chief minister said he had never raised a finger of suspicion on electronic voting machines "because I do not believe that these machines can be manipulated". However, he said it is also true that the election can be manipulated in some other way. "If you see the delimitation which was done here (following the Reorganisation Act of 2019 and completed in 2022) was also an election manipulation. You increased six seats in Jammu (region) to benefit one party. Maybe that is why we have some concerns about SIR. It would be better if the EC calls us and explains what SIR is. And there is no need to worry about it," he said. Asked about the J&K BJP delegation meeting Union health minister JP Nadda over the controversy related to MBBS admissions in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Reasi and demanding reserving all seats for Hindu students, the chief minister said, "If you want to distribute seats on the basis of religion, then keep that place for minorities. We will invest the grant-in-aid that you get from the government somewhere else." "We have no objection. You pay the price of the land that was allotted there. Stop taking the grant-in-aid that you get. Change your status. Come as a minority institution. After that, if you want to distribute seats on the basis of religion, then do it; who can stop you? But till now, you have accepted the NEET and in the exam you only look at the ability and merit," he said. He reiterated his stand that admissions were provided on merit and not religion. Abdullah said that if any student failed to get through in the merit list, "how can you blame someone else for that?"...