The Opposition — Indian National lok Dal and Congress—on Wednesday lashed out at the Manohar lal Khattar Government in Haryana for its failure to fulfil the promises made to the Jat community during last year’s Jat stir.
As the question hour ended, discussion began on an adjournment motion moved by the opposition leaders regarding indefinite protests by Jats at various places in Haryana.
leader of Opposition and INlD’s senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala while speaking during the debate on the motion, said that the people who are actually involved in hatching a conspiracy for violent 2016 Jat stir, are roaming freely in the State while innocents have been arrested by the State Government.
If the State Government was serious on Jat agitation, the Chief Minister and his Cabinet had gone to the dharna sites to meet the protestors, who have faced injustice due to the Haryana Government, he alleged.
Continuing his tirade against the BJP led State Government, Chautala alleged that the party did not take action against its own leaders who issued derogatory statements during the last year’s protest. BJP MP Raj Kumar Saini and Minister Krishan Bedi issued statements against the Jat community but no action was taken against them, he said.
Reacting to Chautala’s statement, Krishan Bedi asked him to also condemn those who are issuing derogatory statements against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Haryana Chief Minister from the stage of Jat dharnas.
To this, Chautala asked Bedi to first apologize for his statement against PM Modi where he said that ‘Ye Modi kya kya karwayega’ while commenting on Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The entire House burst into laughter after Chautala’s dig at Minister Bedi.
Meanwhile, Chautala continued slamming the ruling BJP on agitation issue and said that in a meeting with Jat leadership last year, the Union Minister Rajnath Singh had accepted seven demands of the community then why these demands have not been fulfilled by the government.
He went onto say that the BJP government is betraying the Jat community and trying to incite violence again during the ongoing peaceful protest by Jats in 20 districts of the state.
The INlD leader also flayed the Government for introducing a separate caste column in public service commission forms. It is highly shameful that the government has released such forms. This has been done to divide the community, he said.
Chautala also criticized the previous Bhupinder Singh Hooda led Congress Government in Haryana for doing politics on Jat reservation issue. Targeting the Congress, the INlD leader said that the party should apologize for inciting the violence during last year’s Jat stir. The CD of Prof Virender Singh, a close aid of Hooda, shows how the Congress hatched a conspiracy to provoke people in Haryana during Jat stir last year, he said.
Finance Minister Capt. Abhimanyu also took potshots at Congress and said that what stopped the party to give reservation in their first eight years of rule in Haryana. The reservation was given with a wrong intention at the end of their tenure as they were eyeing elections only, said he.
Reacting to this, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, “We will see what happens in the next election.”
This triggered angry reactions from treachery benches, who were on their feet and the discussion turned into a shouting match between the BJP and Congress MlAs.
Soon after Congress MlA Raghubir Kadiyan challenged the Finance Minister to contest from Narnaund again and said that Abhimanyu will not be able to save his security deposits in next election.
Earlier, while speaking during the discussion, Raghubir Kadiyan asked the State Government to directly meet the Jat protestors. Instead of a committee of bureaucrats, the Government should appoint Ministers to hold talks with the Jats to resolve their issues, said he.
Kadiyan also asked the government to accept the demands of Jat protestors to end their protest.
Independent MlA Jai Parkash, on the other hand, asked the State Government to write to the Home Ministry so that cases under various Sections registered during 2016 Jat agitation could be withdrawn. He also demanded that a new committee should be formed to hold talks with the Jat leaders.