Agitated over SC ruling, Jats to hold mahapanchayat in Delhi on Aug 18
RESERVATION ISSUE Say they will invite 130 MPs who represent Jat-dominated parliamentary seats
ROHTAK: Perturbed over the rulings of the Supreme Court and the Punjab and Haryana high court against the reservation quota for the Jat community under the other backward class (OBC) category, Jat leaders have decided to hold a mahapanchayat in Delhi on August 18.
“Now we have decided to hold protests after the August 18 meeting in Delhi, in which we have invited all 130 MPs who represent Jat-dominated parliamentary constituencies. If they will not support us, we will gherao them also,” said HP Singh Parihar, president of Sanyunkat Jat Arakhsan Sangharsh Samiti.
“The gover nment’s poor show in courts proved that the BJP is not in favour of reservation to Jats. We can see that both the Centre and the Haryana government are not taking up the issue strongly in the court”, he said.
He also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making false promises to the members of the Jat community, saying, “The Prime Minister assured his support, but his government is not representing the case strongly in the court. Also, if the Prime Minister is in favour of reservation to Jats, his government can bring a law against the court ruling”.
“Top BJP leaders say that they are in favour of reservation to Jats. On the other hand, BJP MP from Kurukshetra, Raj Kumar Saini, has announced to float an OBC brigade against the Jats. This shows double standards of the BJP. Why the BJP leaders are not taking action against Saini,” he asked.
KHAP LEADERS SEEK CM’S INTERVENTION
Meanwhile, several khap leaders held a meeting in Jind on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum to the Jind deputy commissioner, seeking intervention of Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar over the Punjab and Haryana high court’s ruling granting one-week to the Haryana government to file reply on the continuance of reservation to Jats.
Led by Tek Ram Kandela, head of the Kandela khap, the Jat leaders urged the government to continue the reserva- tion benefits to the community, by putting their case strongly in the court on the next hearing on July 27. The Jat leaders also threatened to hold statewide protests if the government failed to protect their interests.
‘RESERVATION OVER, WE WILL FIGHT AGAIN’
Reacting to the Tuesday’s ruling of Supreme Court, Haryana president of the Akhil Bhartiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (ABJASS) Hawa Singh Sangwan, said that the quota for Jats was almost over as the BJP government was not in favour of reservation to the community. “Arakshan to khatam hai. Ab hamein ladaai fir se ladni padegi (Reservation is over and we will have to fight again),” he said.
“For political benefits, the BJP does not want to continue the reservation, which was given during the Congress regime. That’s why they are not backing the case strongly in the court,” Sangwan said.
“But we are ready to fight again and the agitation will start soon after the government or the court discontinues the reservation to the Jats,” he added.