Jat leaders threaten to intensify stir
COMMUNITY LEADERS SAY GOVT CHEATED THEM ON QUOTA ISSUE, WILL RESUME PROTEST AT KARNAL FROM FEBRUARY 3
KARNAL: Accusing the BJP government in Haryana of betrayal of their community on the issue of reservation, a group of Jat leaders has threatened to intensify their agitation by launching a protest in Karnal from February 3.
Bharat Singh Beniwal, an estranged leader of the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS), said Jat leaders from the state will reach Karnal on January 3 and will hold a protest against chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and the BJP government in the state for not fulfilling the promises of reservation made to them last year.
“Chief minister Khattar did not fulfil his promises, including withdrawal of cases against innocent people, compensation and government jobs to the family members of youths who died in violence during the Jat agitation in February 2016. Now, we have decided to hold a protest in Karnal,” he added. ‘MALIK MISLEADING COMMUNITY MEMBERS’ He also accused AIJASS national President Yashpal Malik of misleading members of the Jat community.
“Malik was hand in glove with BJP leaders and he has ditched the people who worked restlessly during the protests and dharnas,” he said.
“Malik had assured us that the government had accepted all their demands on March 19 last year. But now he is not saying anything against BJP leaders as the demand for reservation and withdrawal of pending cases remains unfulfilled, ” said Beniwal.
He demanded that six communities, including Jats, be given reservation, the youths of the community arrested for violence be released and action be taken against Yashpal Malik and BJP MP Rajkumar Saini for dividing people of Haryana to fulfill their motives. He also targeted Union minister Birender Singh of turning back from his promises made to the Jats
He, however, denied bickering within Jat community and said Yashpal Malik was an outsider and he was working at the behest of the BJP government and misused crores of rupees collected from the donations .
However, AIJASS leader Balwan Kotra said Beniwal is no longer associated with the AIJASS and he was slamming Malik at the behest of BJP leaders. He said the AIJASS will hold district-level protests on February 18 to pay tributes to the Jat youths killed in 2016.