After a week-long deadlock in negotiations between the Jat agitators and Haryana Government, the Jats have finally announced to hold talks with the five-member government’s committee but on pre-conditions.
All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti chief Yashpal Malik, who is spearheading the Jat agitation, which entered its 11th day on Wednesday, has announced that the Jat outfit is ready to hold talks with the committee but on some pre-conditions.
A day before, Haryana Government had constituted a five-member committee headed by Chief Secretary DS Dhesi to hold talks with the Jat protestors.
After a slow start, the Jat stir is picking pace in Haryana, with numbers of protesters swelling by the day at various dharna spots in 19 districts of the state. Rohtak, being the epicentre of Jat stir is witnessing huge crowds gathering at the dharna spots every day.
large number of students from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak and other Colleges also reached dharna spot on Wednesday to extend their support to the ongoing agitation.
The call for the fresh Jat stir has been given by some Jat outfits, especially those owing allegiance to AIJASS headed by Malik. Besides reservation, the Jats are seeking release of youths arrested during the Jat agitation last year and jobs to kin of Jats killed in the agitation.
AIJASS chief Yashpal Malik while talking to the mediapersons at Rohtak on Wednesday said that we are ready to talk to the committee but the meeting should be held in Rohtak or nearby area.
The meeting should not be held in Delhi or Chandigarh. Also, the committee should put forth all the records related to arrested youth, cases registered, cases withdrawn related to last year’s Jat agitation during the meeting to be held, said he.
Malik also demanded that the committee should first held talks with other Jat organizations and we will hold talks with the committee n the end. No decisions would be taken in the meeting but the Jats will only discuss how the government plans to act on their demands. Further, things would be discussed at the dharna spots, added he.
The Jat leader maintained that Jats are willing to wait for reservation since the matter was sub-judice, but they wanted all other demands to be accepted immediately.
Notably, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had in May 2016 stayed the Manohar lal Khattar government’s decision to grant reservation to Jats and five other communities in jobs and educational institutions under the newly created backward class ‘C’ category.
The five members committee headed by Chief Secretary included Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Ram Niwas, Principal Secretary, Industries, Devender Singh, Secretary, General Administration, Vijayendra Kumar and Additional Director General of Police, law and Order, Mohammad Akil. The committee was on Tuesday constituted to consider demands of those agitating to resolve their problems.
ACS Home, Ram Niwas, told the mediapersons that the Government welcomes the first step taken by the Jat protestors. Soon, a venue of the meeting will be decided. The Committee will resolve their issues under the ambit of the Constitution and different decisions and directions given by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard, he added.
Meanwhile, DGP KP Singh said the stir is going on peacefully. "The situation is peaceful in the state," he said.
During a similar Jat agitation last February, districts namely Rohtak,Jhajjar, Sonepat, Jind, Hisar, Kaithal and Bhiwani had witnessed large scale violence.
The violent quota agitation had left 30 people dead and more than 200 injured in Haryana.