The run-up to 2014 general elections has metamorphosised into a battle for supremacy between Punjab Congress’s senior leadership.
In an attempt to grab the “issue” from his bête noire Partap Singh Bajwa — the State Congress president, his predecessor and Congress Working Committee’s permanent invitee Amarinder Singh has chalked out the entire strategy to corner
the SAD-BJP combine Government on the issue of Jat reservation, before Bajwa could snap it.
Straightening out that he is going to make ‘Jat reservation’ an election issue for the 2014 lok Sabha polls, former Chief Minister Amarinder on Thursday lashed out at the Punjab Government for making “deliberate” delay in declaring Jats and Jat Sikhs of the State as “backward classes”, that too hours before the model code of conduct come into force.
To “expose” the SAD-BJP led State Government’s designs, he said that a comprehensive “plan” has been made out to tell the people that the State Government’s “last minute” decision is not going to make any difference as “the Cabinet’s decision has not been notified and could not be made law with the code of conduct coming into play”.
For the purpose, the All India Jat Maha Sabha has formed committees in all constituencies of the State which would go village to village and tell the people how the SAD-BJP Government “deliberately delayed” the process of including State’s Jats and Jat Sikhs in the OBC category.
Earlier, Amarinder had derailed Bajwa’s campaign against the State Government on the drug issue by going against the party’s stand of demanding CBI probe for alleged involvement of Cabinet Minister Bikram Majithia in drug case.
Union Cabinet, on March 2, had decided to include the Jat community in the central list of ‘other backward classes’ (OBCs) in nine States, including Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Days after, and hours before the model code of conduct comes into force, Punjab Cabinet on late Tuesday evening approved the “backward class” status to Jats and Jat Sikhs of the State.
Punjab could not be included in the Central list as, Amarinder explained, the State Government failed to send a representation in this regard to the Centre denying OBC reservation benefit to Jats and Jat Sikhs of the State.
“Just a day before elections were to be announced, the State Government hurriedly declared Jats and Jat Sikhs as BC. However, as the code of conduct is in place, it cannot be notified. Now, Punjab’s poor Jats will suffer,” said Amarinder, who is also the president of All India Jat Maha Sabha.
“I wrote twice to the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, on December 28, and February 12, to declare Jats and Jat Sikhs as BC in the State list in order to make them eligible for inclusion in central OBC list. But, indulging in political games, Badal chose to ignore this issue,” he added.
“Had this decision taken earlier, the Jats and Jat Sikhs of Punjab would be entitled to the benefits in central services and educational institutions like in nine other States,” he regretted while alleging that Badal did not do it purposely “as he selfishly thought that I or the Congress party may get the credit and some benefit by this decision”.
Amarinder said that as per constitutional requirement, State Government first must have to declare Jats as BC in the State list then it could be considered by Centre for including in Central list of OBC. “Unless the State Government converted it into law, the Centre cannot do it…there is constitutional hiccup,” he said.
Justifying the demand for getting reservation benefits for Jats and Jat Sikhs of Punjab under OBC category, Amarinder quoted several figures and surveys indicating at the community members’ poor condition.
“One survey had revealed that not more than two per cent of the students from this community go to universities,” he added.
“There are tens of thousands of Jats and Jat Sikh families across Punjab who cannot have a one square meal. We are demanding reservation for those people and not for people like me or Badal,” he clarified.
The Maha Sabha is also organising a Maha Adhiveshan at New Delhi’s Talkatora Stadium to thank the UPA Government for accepting their long pending demand on March 20, wherein jats from across the country would participate.