Jats to hit roads again as ‘govt failed to act on time’
QUOTA DEMAND Community leader and Cong MLA says govt did not hold talks BHARATPUR:
Jat leader and Congress legislator Vishvendra Singh said the community will launch an agitation from Friday to demand its inclusion in the Central list of Other Backward Classes (OBC) and withdrawal of cases lodged during the 2016 and 2017 agitations for reservation.
“We gave the government two days’ time on October 2 to withdraw the cases and to give Jats OBC reservation in government jobs,” said Singh, Deeg-Kumher MLA and a member of the former royal family of Bharatpur.
In a press conference Thursday, Singh said the district and police administration had assured him that talks will be held. “We will wait for the government response until Thursday evening and will launch the agitation on Friday morning if talks are inconclusive or unsatisfactory,” Singh said.
Vishvendra Singh said the agitation this time will be historic. “During the 2017 agitation, I managed to control the community, but this time they will be beyond my control,” he said, adding rail and road traffic will be blocked and the agitation will spread to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
The Rajasthan high court quashed OBC reservation for the Jats of Bharatpur and Dholpur districts in August 2015. There were protests and agitations in these two districts.
The Rajasthan government included them in the OBC list in August 2017 on the basis of recommendations of the State Commission for Backward Classes.
As many as 71 police cases were registered against protesters in 2016 and 35 in 2017 for offences committed during the agitations. A police complaint was also registered against the MLA and forwarded to the Crime Investigation Department (CID).
Members of Bharatpur Dholpur Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, led by convener Nem Singh visited some venues in district to block rail and roads and to find out the main point of agitation. They are approaching people in villages to be ready for stir from Friday. A delegation led by Nem Singh will meet government’s delegation if the government invited them for talks, Vishvendra Singh said.
Earlier, on October 2, Vishvendra Singh marched to the office of the superintendent of police with his supporters to court arrest in the case registered against him. He told the police to either arrest him and his supporters in the cases or withdraw the cases in two days. Police took him in custody but released him after going 500 metres.
Rajasthan health minister Kali Charan Saraf, who is minister-incharge of Bharatpur, was in town to talk about the state government’s achievements. He said the government had set up a cabinet committee to hold talks with agitators. “They can start an agitation in an hour’s time but the government needs to follow rules and processes,” he said when asked to comment on the Jats’ ultimatum until Friday.