Trouble seems to be mounting for the Manohar lal Khattar Government in Haryana with the Jat leaders remaining adamant on their demands as their ongoing agitation entered 16th day in the state.
While the State Government is already in a fix, whether to accept the demands of Jat agitators including release of youth lodged in jails after withdrawing cases registered against them during last year’s agitation, the Jat community also wants an assurance from the Centre for giving reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.
Not only this, the Jat leaders also now also demanding inclusion of a representative of a Centre in the committee constituted by Haryana Government last week to hold talks with the Jat protestors and resolve their issues.
Yashpal Malik, head of Akhil Bhartiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, which is spearheading the ongoing Jat agitation in 20 districts of Haryana demanded that the Centre should also give an assurance for giving reservation to the Jats.
Reiterating that dharnas would continue till our demands are met, Malik while talking to the mediapersons said that we have already put forth our demands in a meeting held with five-member committee of Haryana Government. While the Court had put stay on reservation to
Jats and other five communities in Haryana and the case is subjudice, we want the Centre to give reservation to Jats in central jobs and educational institutions, said he.
Either a representative of Centre should be included in Haryana Government’s committee or the State Government should get an assurance from the BJP led Centre on reservation issue at central level, said the Jat leader.
The other 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. The Jats are also demanding action against BJP MP from Kurukshetra constituency Raj Kumar Saini for his alleged anti-Jat rants.
Malik added that DJ system have now been banned at the dharna spots. People have been urged not to bring firearms at dharna spots, said he when asked about young men flaunting guns at dharna spot in Rohtak a day before.
The Jat agitation is picking pace in Haryana with numbers of protesters including women and youth increasing by the day at various dharna spots. But, government seems to have learnt little after last year’s lawlessness that prevailed for days in some parts of the state during February’s Jat protest.
A day back, the local administration at Rohtak faced a hard time controlling thousands of protesters who had converged at village Jassia. The roads leading from Rohtak to Jassia were completely choked with the sudden surge of protestors coming to the dharna spot in tractor-trolleys, buses and two-wheelers on Sunday.
last year also, Rohtak was the epicentre of the Jat agitation for quota in jobs and education.
The Jat leaders have announced to observe February 19 as 'Balidan Divas' in the memory of those who lost their lives during last year's agitation. The dharna spots at Rohtak and Jind are likely to witness huge crowd on February 19, for which the Jat leaders have made an appeal to the State Government to make arrangements for traffic management across the region.
While security around the dharna site at Jassia and in Rohtak has been intensified with deployment of extra companies of central forces and police force, the security forces are keeping a vigil at other dharna spots as well.
The BJP Government in the state had last week formed a five-member committee, headed by Chief Secretary D S Dhesi, to hold talks with the agitating Jats.
The first round of talks held between the Jat leaders and the committee on Saturday remained inconclusive while another meeting is now expected to take place after Tuesdays’ Haryana Cabinet meeting, where the demands of Jat protestors will be the key agenda.
After the committee’s meeting with Jat leaders, Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar had said that the talks between the government-appointed officers' panel and the Jats would continue in the second round and all points would be discussed.
At present, the State Government remains in a fix as accepting the demands of dropping the cases and releasing the youth arrested in cases of arson and violence would send out a wrong message in public.
like last year’s agitation when the Government remained dependent on a series of appeals made by its Ministers , this time the State Government is dependent on the talks between its five-member committee and Jat leaders.
Two Cabinet Ministers and prominent Jat leaders Capt. Abhimanyu and Om Parkash Dhankar who remained at the forefront for holding talks with the Jat community during last year’s agitation, have been kept away from the exercise of ongoing negotiations with Jat leaders this year.
During February last year, the protest by the Jats in Haryana over demand for reservation had snowballed into a major problem, not only for that state but also its neighbour states.
With a non-Jat leader as its head, the debutant BJP Government led by Manohar lal had failed to staunch the aggravated Jat agitation that had killed 31 people and resulted in damage to property worth crores of rupees.
Haryana High Court had in May 2016 stayed the Khattar 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.
Finance Minister slams opposition parties
Haryana Finance Minister Capt. Abhimanyu on Monday criticised the Indian National lok Dal (INlD) and the Congress for grinding their own axe on the behest of the youth in the ongoing agitation for reservation.
Capt. Abhimanyu, while talking to the mediapersons here, questioned the INlD that did it give employment and compensation to next of the kin of those who lost their lives in the Kandela incident which occurred during their regimeIJ
While reminding that agitation for reservation was also held during the tenure of the Congress and at that time too, people lost their lives and cases were registered, the Finance Minister, a Jat leader himself, also questioned that did the Congress Government withdrew those casesIJ
In case the protesters violate the law, the administration and the government are competent to take action against them, said he while commenting on the ongoing Jat stir.
Notably, Capt. Abhimanyu’s palatial house in Rohtak was burned down by Jat agitators during last year’s quota stir in February.
lOP Abhay Chautala visits dharna spots
leader of Opposition in Haryana Assembly and INlD’s senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala on Monday visited dharna spots at Dadri, Jhajjar, Bhiwani to extend his support to the ongoing Jat agitation in Haryana. lashing out at the ruling BJP, Chautala accused the Manohar lal Khattar Government of betraying the Jat community and did not fulfil the promises made to the Jats during last year.
Indian National lok Dal, the main opposition party in Haryana, has openly come out in support of the agitating Jats this time and its party leaders are visiting the dharna spots every day.Speaking at a dharna spot, Abhay Chautala on Monday said that instead of depending on the five-member committee of bureaucrats for holding talks with the Jat leaders, the Chief Minister should himself come forward to fulfil the promises his government had made last year to the Jat community.
The government’s intentions are not right and thus, they are delaying the entire issue.If they (State Government) wanted to give reservation to the Jats and accept all other demands raised by the Jat agitators, they (State Government) would have done it by now and people were not forced to sit on dharnas for 16 days, added the INlD leader.