Hindustan Times (Bathinda)

Want quota in two months or will choke Delhi: Jat leaders

WARN HARYANA GOVT Threaten to boycott finance minister Abhimanyu, BJP chief Barala

- Hardik Anand hardik.anand@hindustant­imes.com

JHAJJAR: Jat leaders on Sunday warned the state government of re-launching their ‘Delhi Kooch’ plan if they do not get reservatio­n in jobs and educationa­l institutes within two months.

At a massive rally in Jhajjar, All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) president Yashpal Malik asked the government to finish all legal hurdles to ensure Jat quota and fulfil all their demands that were agreed to by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

The rally comes two days after the Punjab and Haryana high court upheld reservatio­n for Jats and five other communitie­s in Haryana, but stayed its implementa­tion till March 2018, asking the Backward Classes Commission to submit a report on the extent of quota that could be given to the six communitie­s. The Khattar-led government had granted 10% quota to the six communitie­s after Jats ran riot in Haryana in February 2016.

“The court has asked government to submit its report by March 2018. But our demand is that government submits report quickly and requests the high court for early hearing. This, along with our other demands, should be fulfilled within two months or we will prepare our tractors for Delhi Kooch again. This time, it will be bigger than ever,” Malik warned.

The community’s threat to march towards Parliament with thousands of tractors in March this year had brought the entire National Capital Region to a standstill. The protest call was “postponed” after state government had agreed to fulfil their demands.

However, Malik said many of their demands, including reservatio­n in Centre, were still pending. “Many Jat youths are still lodged in jails. In our meeting with government on March 19, it had agreed to free them and withdraw cases related to violence during February 2016 agitation. Also, no action has been taken against BJP MP Raj Kumar Saini who continues to make derogatory statements against Jats and Jat leaders,” he said.

The Jat leader further asked the government to arrest khap leader Sube Singh Samain, whom he accused of attacking him during Jat meet in Fatehabad on August 14. He demanded to sack a deputy superinten­dent of police (DSP) and a inspector rank officer for allegedly protecting Samain, and asked for a CBI probe to find involvemen­t of local BJP legislator and party’s state unit president Subhash Barala in the entire episode.

 ?? MANOJ DHAKA/HT ?? People at the Jat rally in Jhajjar on Sunday.
MANOJ DHAKA/HT People at the Jat rally in Jhajjar on Sunday.

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