In a bid to pacify the agitating Jats, the Centre on Sunday set up a high-powered committee headed by Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu to examine their demand for quota in Central jobs. The move came after a meeting with Jat leaders during which it was decided that a Bill would be moved in Haryana Assembly for giving OBC status to the community. While welcoming the decision, the Jat leaders said they would discuss the outcome of the meeting with the community.
After the marathon meeting, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday appealed to the agitating Jats in Haryana to restore peace after violence continued in the State taking the death toll to 12.
He also announced that a committee, headed by Naidu, has been set up to look into the demand of Jats for reservation in Central Government jobs.
BJP vice-presidents Satpal Malik and Avinash Rai Khanna and Union Ministers Mahesh Sharma and Sanjeev Balyan are the other members of the committee headed by Naidu
"I appeal to everyone to maintain peace. But law and order is a State subject. If someone indulges in violence we will have to take action," he told reporters after a series of meeting, including one with a delegation of Jats.
After the meeting, BJP general secretary in-charge of Haryana Anil Jain said a Bill will be brought in the coming Session of the Haryana Assembly for granting OBC status to the Jats in the State.
The Home Minister, however, did not make any comment on BJP’s declaration that a Bill for giving OBC status to Jats will be brought in the coming Haryana Assembly session. Jat leaders from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi were part of the meeting besides Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, Haryana Minister Abhimanyu, BJP MP and former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh, former Deputy Chief of Army lt Gen (Retd) Raj Kandyan.
After the meeting with the Home Minister, Jat Sangharsh Samiti leader Jaipal Sing Sangwan said the discussion was very positive and he was confident that the community would accept the decisions. "We appeal to everyone to call off the agitation," he said. However, another leader of the Jat Sangharsh Samiti Rajesh Dahiya said a decision on calling off the agitation would be taken by the community later.
Earlier, Rajnath also held a separate meeting with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister Sanjeev Baliyan to discuss the Jat agitation.
Singh also held another meeting which was attended among other by NSA Ajit Doval, Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Nripendra Mishra, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, Director of Intelligence Bureau Dineswar Sharma, Vice Chief of Indian Air Force Air Marshal BS Dhanoa and Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi.