A day after the Manohar lal Khattar Government claimed to have pacified the agitatiing Jats, the State Government and Jat leaders on Friday traded charges against each other of “backtracking” from the agreement document made during Thursday’s meeting held at Panipat.
While the Cabinet Minister Ram Bilas Sharma on Friday said that demands of agitating Jats have been accepted and they will withdraw their dharnas and proposed “Delhi March” on March 20, the Jat leaders announced to continue their agitation in Haryana and to go ahead with “Delhi March” to gherao the Parliament.
Confusion prevailed throughout the day as it was expected that Chief Minister Manohar lal will held a final meeting with Jat leaders in New Delhi on Friday while the Chief Minister denied of having any scheduled meeting with the Jat leadership.
To clarify Government’s stand on the issue, the Chief Minister held a press conference here in the evening moments after Jat leader Yashpal Malik held a press conference in Rohtak to announce that the dharnas being staged across the State would continue and they would also go ahead with their plan to gherao the Parliament to mount pressure on the BJP led Central Government to fulfill their demands.
Earlier on Friday morning, Cabinet Minister Ram Bilas Sharma held a press conference in New Delhi, and claimed that Thursday’s meeting with Jat leaders was successful and they will end their dharnas.
The State Government’s newly appointed three-member committee headed by Ram Bilas Sharma alongwith earlier constituted five members committee of senior officers had held a meeting with Jat leaders on Thursday in Panipat which lasted for more than four hours.
Holding the written agreement document of Thursday’s meeting, the Chief Minister, while talking to the mediapersons on Friday evening, said that the Government and Jat leaders had reached a consensus in the meeting as most of the demands of agitating Jats were accepted.
On his meeting with Jat leaders today, Manohar lal clarified that there was no meeting scheduled with them in New Delhi and Minister Ram Bilas Sharma and Jat leaders were scheduled to hold a joint press conference in the national capital.
“The Jats had assured that “Delhi March” proposed on March 20 will remain suspended. And, all the dharnas except at ten places, would be withdrawn. Only the members of the executive committee would sit on ten dharnas which would end by February 26. But, we have not understood why they have backtracked in past 24 hours,” said Manohar lal.
When asked whether the Government would stop the agitating Jats during proposed “Delhi March”, the Chief Minister said that our duty is to maintain law and order situation and we would
ensure that.
Strongly reacting to the pressure tactics adopted by Jat leaders to mount pressure on the Government, he said that the State Government will not bow down to pressure from one community as we have to work for all communities in the State.
On being asked that Jat leaders including Yashpal Malik is challenging State authorities time and again during ongoing Jat agitation, he said, under democracy, the Government cannot stop anyone to speak but will act accordingly if someone crosses limit.
In reply to a question on why the Jat leaders took a U-turn in past 24 hours, the Chief Minister said that we are not sure of the reasons
till now.
He however added, “I am prepared to negotiate with an open mind to resolve their issues and the Jat leaders could hold dialogue with me at any place. I will be in Chandigarh, Sonepat and Delhi on Saturday and the agitating Jat leaders could see me at any of these places.”
Stating that the protesting Jats are changing their goalposts hence making the situation complicated, Manohar lal said he is not aware what went wrong after Thursday’s meeting.
When asked if there was involvement of any political person in their backing out, the Chief Minister said that he was not sure of this... However, it appeared there could be politically motivated vested interests or some of the agitators who did not like peace, he added.
On sending non-Jat Ministers like Ram Bilas Sharma and Krishan Kumar Bedi for holding talks with Jat leaders, he said there is no division of Jats and non-Jats in the party and there is no problem arising due to this.
On the other hand, Yashpal Malik, the president of the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS), which is spearheading the agitation in Haryana, accused the BJP led State Government of conspiring against them to weaken their agitation, which entered its 48th day in
the State.
Malik said they were hopeful of reaching an amicable settlement with the Government and meeting the Chief Minister in New Delhi but he left without meeting us.
The Jat leader added that further talks could be held but only with competent Government authorities.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister Manohar lal informed that at Panipat’s Thursday meeting, Jats were assured that after the decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the issue of reservation, it would be got included in the ninth Scheduled of the Constitution. Before March 20, the government would get them in-touch with a Central Minister on reservation issue at central level, he said.
The Government had assured them that all issues concerning Jat reservation would be re-investigated. Apart from this, the Government has no problem in re-investigating the cases of the year 2010 to 2017. The cases that are lying in the court would be decided by the court, he said.
On other demands of Jats, the Chief Minister said that the next of kin of those who have lost their lives in last year’s Jat agitation and those who got disabilities or their next of kin would be given permanent employment within 60 days. All the youth who are in jails, their issues would be re-investigated. Compensation to those injured during last year’s Jat stir is being given and it will be completed within 15 days.
Those Government officers, who would be found guilty, would be punished. This process has already been started and many officers have been suspended, he added.