Saini cancels Charkhi Dadri rally after khaps’ threat to block entry
ROHTAK/CHANDIGARH: A khap meet held in Charkhi Dadri on Saturday decided not to let Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Raj Kumar Saini enter the area on Sunday.
Saini had to attend a rally in Charkhi Dadri to mobilise support for his ‘samanta rally’ to be held later in November in his home constituency, Kurukshetra. However, after the khaps’ threat, Saini said he has cancelled the rally on the advice of the district administration.
During the meet, khaps gave a call to block all entry points to Charkhi Dadri to stop Saini. They formed committees to guard these blockades and check all vehicles. They also asked the government to book Saini under the attempt to murder charge and deprive him of his MP status.
The controversial BJP MP, who has been under fire for his comments against the demand for Jat quota, once again came at loggerheads with the community when five Jat youths were booked on the charge of attempt to murder for throwing ink on him during an event in Kurukshetra last Sunday. After statewide protests, however, the police dropped the charge on Friday.
The move has once again brought Jat-Saini rivalry to the fore, which had led to large-scale violence and loss of life during February Jat quota stir, especially in Jhajjar.
The khaps maintained Saini had been bad-mouthing their community, which was leading to communal disharmony in state. They gave a memorandum to the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) to not allow him entry.
When contacted, Saini said, “Yeh ek jaati ki dadagiri hai
(This is one community’s bullying tactics) that we’re not able to hold our rally. They have been putting pressure on everyone. So we decided to let them have their way. We will hold our rally later.”