Normal life is expected to be thrown out of gear in the national Capital if the Jat agitation continued in Haryana. The blockade of road and train services may impact supply of essential goods like fruits, vegetables, milk, water from Munak canal and fuel to the city. Protesters reached Najafgarh, Bawana, Mundka areas in the Capital as heavy police deployment was made on the border areas and other Metro stations.
The protesters blocked the traffic and the NH-10 was also completely blocked in Haryana. Hundreds of trucks with food supplies and lPG cylinders were stranded. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal blamed the BJP of playing divisive politics and asked the protesters to maintain peace.
Officials said if the Jat agitation continued in Haryana, the normal life is expected to go out of gear in Delhi as lakhs of commuters, who travel from the neighbouring States to Delhi, will have to face hardship. It will also stall commuters coming to Delhi and taking boarding train to all southern cities. Due to blockage of road and rail network in Haryana and bordering areas of Delhi, it is going to impact supply of essential commodities to the Capital.
“Delhiites will face the heat of the Jat agitation. The Capital is a hub for Government officials, corporate sectors, private sector and unorganised sectors as well as traders coming here across the city. Due to it, work is expected to be hampered,” said officials. Besides, thousands of trucks coming from Haryana carrying essential commodities including milk and vegetables will be affected.
According to officials, there is possibility of water crisis in several parts of the city if protestors stopped water from Munak canal to Palla in Delhi. The road traffic is also affected to all those bordering areas connecting Gurgaon, Bahadurgarh, Alipur and Sonepat. Jats of Ghaziabad and Noida also protested in support of the agitation in Haryana.
A large number of Jat assembled at Delhi-Apsara border and blocked the traffic movement. Areas like Narela, Bawana, Kirari, Mundka, Nangloi, Najafgarh, Vikaspuri, Matiala, Bijwasan, Mehrauli, RK Puram have a sizable Jat community. Total population of this community is 5.5 per cent in Delhi and plays a major role in electorate politics in the national Capital.
As the Jat agitation entered its sixth day on Friday, protestors demanding reservation in Government jobs and educational institutions under OBC category — took an ugly turn on Friday in Rohtak and several other districts in Haryana after one person was killed and the house of State Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu was attacked by the agitators who even tried to set it on fire.
Jats figure in the State list of OBCs in Uttar Pradesh, while in Rajasthan, they are included both in the State and Central list of OBCs. The Central list, however, excludes the community members hailing from the districts of Bharatpur and Dholpur. However, in Haryana, Jats are excluded from both the State and Central lists.