With the ongoing Jat agitation entering its 20th day on Friday and concerns being raised that the protest may go in the hands of anti-social elements leading to law and order problems after February 19, the Manohar lal Khattar Government in Haryana has intensified its efforts to resolve the issues of Jat agitators.
A day after a meeting with Chief Minister Manohar lal, the BJP leaders belonging to the Jat community reached out to the Jat protesters on Friday to make an appeal to end the ongoing agitation even though the talks remains inconclusive.
The State Government has also extended an invitation to Jat leaders for holding talks on February 20.
While Haryana Jat Minister OP Dhankar convened a meeting of Jat leaders at Panipat, Haryana BJP chief and MlA Subash Barala on Friday reached Charkha Dadri dharna spot to meet the protestors.
Yashpal Malik, chief of Akhil Bhartiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (ABJASS), which is spearheading the Jat agitation stayed away from Panipat’s meeting while more than 70 Khap and Jat leaders including Sube Singh Samain and OP Mann attended the meeting.
During the meeting, Haryana Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar urged the Jat leaders to visit the dharna spots and apprize the protestors that the State Government is committed to give reservation to the Jats and is ready to accept their demands under the ambit of the law.
Dhankar also urged the Jat leaders to ensure peaceful environment in the state during the ongoing Jat agitation. The Jat leaders, on the other hand, reiterated their demands of general amnesty for those booked during the February 2016 Jat quota violence, government jobs and compensation for the kin of those killed and injured while taking part last year’s stir.
After the meeting, the Cabinet Minister OP Dhankar while talking to the mediapersons said that the talks were positive and many issues were discussed with the Jat leaders.
On the demands of Jat protestors, Dhankar said that the State Government has already announced that it has no objection in providing financial help and job to the family members of the persons who lost their lives during the last year’s agitation.
On cases related to the Jat agitation last year, he informed that the State Government has withdrawn about 1500 cases till now and 622 cases are pending.
Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala, a Jat himself, reached a Jat dharna spot at Charkhi Dadri to meet the protestors and also extended an invitation for holding talks with the State Government on February 20.
Haryana Government’s appointed five-member committee of senior bureaucrats, had last week held talks with the Jat leader Yashpal Malik and others to resolve their demands, however, the meeting failed to yield positive results.
Additional Director General of Police, law and Order, Mohammad Akil, who is a member of the committee headed by Chief Secretary DS Dhesi has again invited Yashpal Malik group for talks on February 20.
ABJASS chief Yashpal Malik has however announced that his organization has turned down the fresh appeal of ADGP for holding parleys.
“The next course of action and shape of agitation will be declared on February 19. We will also announce if we will hold talks with the government’s committee or not,” said Malik.
February 19 would be observed as ‘Balidan Divas’ across the state in the memory of those who lost their lives during Jat agitation.
ABJASS core committee meeting in Jassia village at Rohtak on Friday concluded that the Jat protest will continue in a “peaceful manner” in Haryana.
The protest by Jats continued at different location across Haryana, said Malik. The Jat leader, however, slammed Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar and Jat MPs and MlAs for not taking the Jats stir “seriously”.
The State Government is not making efforts for a meeting with the community members and seems non-serious in fulfilling our demands, he alleged.
The demands of the Jats include the release of those jailed during last year's agitation, withdrawal of cases slapped during the protest and government jobs for the kin of those killed and injured while taking part in February 2016 Jat stir in Haryana.
Besides asking Haryana Government to put forth a strong case in HC for vacating the stay on reservation given to Jats in Haryana last year, the community has also demanded reservation in central jobs and educational institutions.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court had in May 2016 stayed the Haryana 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 Jats have also demanded action against BJP MP from Kurukshetra constituency Raj Kumar Saini for his alleged anti-Jat rants.
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 31 people dead and more than 200 injured in Haryana.