Jat agitation fire spreads, singes UP
MEERUT: Leaders of various Khap panchayats on Saturday rushed to meet home minister Rajnath Singh to discuss the agitation by Jats in Haryana and find ways to peacefully resolve the issue.
Speaking to HT, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Naresh Tikait said he had received the home minister’s invitation during an emergency meeting of all Khap panchayats in Soram village of Muzaffarnagar to discuss the death of three protesters in police firing in Rohtak and chalk out a strategy to prevent the spread of the agitation to UP.
“The home minister has invited us for a meeting in Delhi and all the Khap leaders are going there to meet with him on the issue. We want the matter to be resolved peacefully,” he said.
Meanwhile, the agitation in Haryana to demand reservations for Jats in Central government jobs spread to western UP on Saturday, as students, lawyers and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) workers took to the roads and raised antigovernment slogans in Baraut town of Baghpat.
The protestors also burned the effigy of the BJP-led Haryana government, forcing Tikait to call the emergency meeting of all Khap panchayats. “I had called an emergency meeting of all Khap choudharies to discuss the issue and find a peaceful solution to the issue. We don’t want the flames of Haryana’s agitation to spread to west UP,” Tikait said, adding that any protest by Jats in the neighbouring state was also likely to affect life in western UP, where the community has a sizable population in many districts.
In UP, Jats are included in the category of OBC which enables them to avail reservation in state government jobs from the 27% OBC quota. However, most Jat leaders of the region cut across party lines and extended support to the community’s demand for reservation. “If the government does not pay heed to our demands, the movement will spread to Uttar Pradesh as well,” said Jagat Singh, a senior RLD leader.
Similarly, former MP and Congress leader Harendra Malik held the BJP governments in Haryana and the Centre responsible for the violence in Haryana.
Meanwhile, movement of heavy vehicles on the Delhi-Saharanpur and Baghpat-Sonepat highways remained suspended for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday.