The Jat quota agitation in Haryana was on Friday put off till April 3 with the community leaders agreeing to give time to the State Government to get a Reservation Bill passed during the ongoing Budget Session of Haryana Vidhan Sabha that ends on March 31.
After holding talks with Haryana Chief Secretary DS Dhesi and State DGP Yashpal Singhal here, All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti president Yashpal Malik on Friday said, “We have given time to Haryana Government to bring and pass the Jat reservation Bill by March 31 (when the ongoing Budget session ends).”
“If the BJP led State Government does not pass the reservation Bill by March 31, then we shall chalk out our next course of action in our meeting on April 3 to be held in New Delhi,” said Malik while talking to the mediapersons.
Malik said that there will be no agitation till April 3. He also appealed to other leaders of Jat community not to hold any agitation or protest in the state till April 3.
“We are satisfied with the talks at the meeting and would appeal to the people not to resort to any protest,” he added.
The announcement to postpone the agitation has come as a major relief to the State Government as various Jat organisations had on Monday threatened to resume their quota agitation, which rocked the state last month and claimed 30 lives.
Replying to a question, Malik said, “During the meeting, we were assured on behalf of Haryana CM that Bill will be passed in the ongoing budget session in the state.
However, he said the Jat leaders were not shown any draft of the Bill which they want to check.
Jats want reservation in BC (Backward Class) category and that the community is getting ready for agitation for quota in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Jammu & Kashmir, he added.
Haryana Government had already assured the Jat leaders that it will bring the bill to provide for reservation to Jats and four other communities in the state during the current session of the Assembly.
About the meeting, Haryana Chief Secretary D.S Dhesi who accompanied Director General of Police, Y.P.Singal, said all aspects of this Bill are being worked out minutely. He said that detailed discussions were held between the officers of the State Government and representatives of Jat organizations in the meeting which lasted about three-and-a-half hours.
The seven-point demand of the representatives of Jat organizations was also disused in the meeting.
He said that compensation of Rs 10 lakh and government job to next of kin of the deceased of those innocent who died during the agitation was the other demand of the Jat representatives. He said that Chief Minister Manohar lal has already assured that compensation would be given to the family members of those innocent who died during that tragic incidents. The compensation would soon be given to the eligible families, he added.
The Chief Secretary said that the draft of the proposed Bill on Jat reservation was also discussed in the meeting. He said that Jat representatives have been assured that the Bill would be passed before the Budget Session is concluded.
He said that the Jat representatives have also been asked to send any law specialist for discussion and giving suggestions to the Government in drafting the Bill. They were also assured that no action would be taken against the innocent persons.
DGP Yashpal Singal said that innocent persons would not be arrested by the police. He also asked the Jat representatives to assist the police in arresting those involved in loot, arson and other criminal activities during the agitation.