After the Jat leaders refused to talk to Haryana Government’s appointed committee comprising of officers and announced to intensify its ongoing agitation, Chief Minister Manohar lal on Wednesday said that the Government is ready to constitute another committee comprising members of opposition and is open to hold further talks with the Jat protesters to resolve their issues.
Giving reply to an adjournment motion on ongoing Jat agitation, the Chief Minister also sought opposition’s cooperation to ensure that the ongoing Jat protest ends soon.
At the same time, he cautioned the agitating Jats not to “cross limit” and restrain their tongue”. The protestors should refrain from issuing derogatory statements at dharnas as such language cannot be correlated with peaceful protests, said he.
Manohar lal also made it clear that action would be taken against those trying to vitiate the peaceful situation in Haryana. It has been demanded that no action should be taken against such people. But this is not a Jungleraj… There should be a fear of law and government would act accordingly against such people, said he.
The House, meanwhile, 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 Jat stir.
Right through the start of the CM’s reply, there were intense debate and noisy scenes as the opposition picked holes on government’s actions to resolve the demands of Jat protestors, whose protest has entered its 32nd day in Haryana on Wednesday.
The deadlock over the demands of Jat agitators has remained unresolved despite two rounds of talks between State Government’s appointed officers committee and Jat leadership during last month.
Responding to the allegations of the opposition, the Chief Minister said, “The government is considering all the seven demands of the Jat protestors.”
“The legal procedure to look into the cases which can be withdrawn has already started. Process of giving compensation to those injured in last year’s Jat stir is also going on,” he said.
Besides, the State Government had offered job to family member of persons who lost lives during 2016 Jat agitation. 25 applications were received for the job. While seven had turned up for jobs, other applicants had turned down job offer from the government, said the Chief Minister.
On the allegations of Jat leaders that the BJP led State Government is putting restrictions on holding dharnas and also, threatening the protestors peacefully sitting at dharnas, Manohar lal maintained that the government has not put any restriction at dharna sites.
leader of opposition and INlD’s senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala then, intervened and asked the Chief Minister that why no action has been taken against BJP MP Raj Kumar Saini for his anti-Jat statements during last year’s Jat stir.
To this, the Chief Minister accepted that the BJP MP Saini has issued such statements but said that it is not under the State Government’s jurisdiction to take action against him as he is an MP.
We have talked to the high command. It is the lok Sabha which can take action against the MP, said he.
Referring to Raj Kumar Saini’s OBC brigade, INlD’s green brigade, he said that such brigades cannot work to maintain peace and such groups are not needed here.
Soon after, Abhay Chautala objected to the statement and also alleged that the ruling BJP is diving Haryana and they want to make one community stand isolated from the other 35 communities in the State.
“BJP leaders continue to make provocative statements to disturb the peaceful situation in Haryana,” he alleged.
Infuriated by Chautala’s comments, several BJP legislators stood up and accused the opposition of politicizing the issue of Jat agitation.
Finance Minister Capt. Abhimayu, however, lambasted the Congress and said that if we are talking about inflammatory comments, then action should also be taken against the Rohtak MP Deependra Hooda for using abusive language against the Chief Minister.
Capt. Abhimanyu also took potshots at the Congress for the attack on state’s party chief Ashok Tanwar during last year by his own party workers.
Amid commotion, Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar, intervened, saying, “As far as statements on me are concerned, I never lose my patience... But everyone should exercise restraint while making comments against any individual be it the State Assembly or outside. We should not indulge in war of words.”
Continuing his reply on the issue of Jat agitation, the Chief Minister said, the government has already constituted Justice Jha Commission to probe the violence during the agitation last year.
After this, former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda demanded an inquiry by sitting Supreme Court’s judge to probe 2016 Jat stir.
His demand was however overlooked by the Chief Minister, who continued his reply and added that the probe by Justice Jha is going on.
The Chief Minister dwelt at length on the Jat protest issue giving details of the talks so far held with the agitating Jats.
He said that earlier the Jat agitators had raised only seven demands but now their demands have increased to 28 and they are also insisting that they would not hold any dialogue on the earlier demands.
Manohar lal also taunted the Jat leader with couplet, “Khwaishein bade bewafa hote hai, pure hote hi badal jate hai.”
Stating that a committee of officers led by Chief Secretary was constituted on the demand of agitators as they felt that the bureaucrats could understand their demands, the Chief Minister said that now a committee of Vidhan Sabha comprising members of opposition leaders could be constituted with the consent of the Speaker or another Committee could be formed by the State Government to hold talks with the protestors so that their issues could be resolved at the earliest.
He added that as the matter is sub-judice in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and some of the demands cannot be fulfilled by the State Government, being out of their jurisdiction, it is not possible to accept the complete charter of demands of Jats as it is, with immediate effect.
The Chief Minister also said that no innocent person has been arrested by the government during the last year’s violent protest in the State.
The INlD and Congress later staged a symbolic walkout from the house expressing disappointment over CM’s reply but returned after a minute to attend the House proceedings.