Haryana Assembly on Wednesday witnessed uproarious scenes as the members of the ruling BJP and Opposition parties INlD and Congress traded charges against each other on the issue of violent Jat reservation stir of February this year.
Trouble started when Chief Minister Manohar lal while giving reply to a calling attention motion on law and order situation in the State informed the State Assembly about the reasons of giving an inquiry to Central Bureau of Investigation into three
incidents related to the Jat agitation.
Right from the start of the discussion, there were intense debate and noisy scenes as the Opposition tried to pick holes on Government action’s including an inquiry by retired IPS Prakash Singh Committee, appointing judicial commission headed by Justice SN Jha and then recommending CBI probe into the Jat agitation.
Justifying Government’s decision to getting the probe done by the CBI into three cases, Manohar lal said, “Keeping in view the seriousness of some incidents of arson and violence that happened during February’s Jat quota stir in Rohtak, Haryana Government has decided to get the inquiry done from an independent agency.”
This is being done to ensure fair and transparent inquiry, so that Opposition do not level allegations against the ruling later, he said adding CBI probe has been recommended into incidents of arson and vandalism at the residence of state Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu, residence of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Circuit House in Rohtak.
Slamming the opposition for criticizing the recommendation of CBI inquiry, the Chief Minister went onto say, “Utla Chor Kotwal ko daatein.”
Dissatisfied with the answer, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, “It is a serious issue. I demand an inquiry by sitting Judge of High Court into the issue.”
Responding to the allegations of treasury benches on involvement of Congress leaders in inciting the violence during Jat agitation, Hooda said, “I am also hurt due to whatever happened during Jat agitation… But people are leveling direct and indirect allegations… I challenge you to get conducted whatever inquiry you want. If found guilty, I will hang myself.”
Reacting sharply to Hooda’s statement, Finance Minister Capt. Abhimanyu accused him of shedding crocodile tears and said, “You never disowned people like Prof Virender Singh and many others who were involved in hatching a conspiracy to incite violence during Jat stir.”
Infuriated by Minister’s comment, several Congress legislators demanded an inquiry by the CBI into entire episode of Jat quota stir and not into three cases only.
Earlier, former Education Minister and Congress MlA Geeta Bhukkal launched a scathing attack on the ruling BJP saying, “BJP is responsible for the large scale violence during February’s Jat protest in the state. “Not only your Finance Minister’s house was burnt but the entire Haryana including my own house was burnt… Why CBI inquiry is recommended only into few cases and not into the cases of entire Haryana.”
Continuing her tirade against the BJP led State Government, Bhukkal said, “The Government should answer why the agitation became violent… Is this the Gujarat modelIJ”
Her statement triggered angry reactions from BJP legislators, who were on their feet and the debate turned into a shouting match between the MlAs of treasury benches and opposition.
leader of Opposition and INlD’s senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala then sought an explanation from the State Government for not acting against BJP’s MP Raj Kumar Saini for continuing making controversial statements against Jat community.
The ruling should also condemn him and an FIR should be registered against Saini, Chautala demanded.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also gave justification on not seeking a second report from retired IPS officer Prakash Singh, whose first report had indicted many officers in police and civil administration for failing to act during the Jat stir.
He said that the Prakash Singh Committee has already submitted its first report in two parts, one of which has been made public and other is confidential. Prakash Singh had himself offered to submit another report on police modernization as he had high expectations that we will appoint him again to submit another report, said he.
But as Prakash Singh had submitted several reports on police modernization earlier also, we asked him not to work on his second report and we will study his previous reports. He can not force another report on the government, added Manohar lal.
The Jat agitation had led to the deaths of 30 people, injured more than 300 and resulted in loss of public and Government property amounting to crores of rupees. Rohtak was the epicentre of the Jat agitation for a quota in jobs and education.
The State Government has also constituted a two-member panel headed by Justice SN Jha (retd) to inquire into all facts and circumstances relating to the occurrence of violence leading to loss of lives, damage to properties, both private and public including roads, canals, railway stations, police stations and illegal felling of trees and violation of human rights from February 18 to 23 during Jat agitation in seven districts namely Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonepat, Jind, Hisar, Kaithal and Bhiwani.