Ready to hold talks with Jat leaders anytime: Khattar
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday evening expressed willingness to meet the leaders of the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) for talks.
Khattar’s offer came at a press conference here on Friday after the Jat leaders did not hold the final round of talks and were absent from the joint press conference with the state government committee as Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar did not show up for the meeting.
On Thursday, after the third round of the talks between the government panel, headed by education minister Ram Bilas Sharma and AIJASS president Yashpal Malik in Panipat, the latter had said they will meet Khattar on Friday in Delhi.
On being asked as to why he didn’t attend the meeting in Delhi, which was announced on Thursday and was extensively covered in the media, Khattar said he was not informed by Sharma or any of the committee members about need of his (Khattar’s) presence at the final round of talks in Delhi.
“I think AIJASS leader Yashpal Malik unilaterally announced it that the meeting was going to be held with me,” Khattar said, and accused Malik
Jat leaders have shifted their goalposts. It appears that someone among the Jat leaders is not in favour of a solution to the issue for their own political interests.
MANOHAR LAL KHATTAR , Haryana chief minister
of shifting the goalposts.
He added: “It appears that someone among the Jat leaders is not in favour of a solution to the issue for political interests.”
He claimed that he had been informed after the Thursday meeting between AIJASS and the government panel that both groups had reached a consensus on all the demands put forward and a written document was prepared, which was to be read out by Sharma and Malik on Friday.
Khattar also showed a photocopy of the document at the press conference.
However, the CM added that the government is prepared to handle the issue. “101 companies of para-military forces have been deputed in the state to maintain law and order on March 20 when the AIJASS members have threatened to protest in Delhi.”