JOIN USThe central BJP leaders on Saturday stepped in to douse the Jat reservation crisis, with Home Minister Rajnath Singh assigned the task of engaging community leaders to come up with a workable formula to end the standoff.
Singh, who held meeting with senior ministers Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley at his residence during the day, will hear out demands of Jat leaders and “Khap Chaudharys” (Jat sub-caste leaders) from western Uttar Pradesh (UP) later in the evening.
Search of solution
Subsequently, community leaders from Haryana and other states will join the consultation process to examine a possible solution which became complex after the Supreme Court quashed a decision to include them in the OBC list and the High Court of Punjab and Haryana turned down the state’s move to bring them under the economically weaker section (EWS) quota.
All India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti national president Yashpal Malik insisted that for the community to withdraw agitation, the state government should bring an ordinance giving them reservation.
With Khattar government unable to handle the lingering political turmoil, BJP chief Amit Shah held meetings with party Jat leaders – Union ministers Chaudhary Birender Singh and Sanjeev Baliyan and state minister O P Dhankar – and Haryana in-charge Anil Jain and decided that the central leadership will negotiate with agitating Jat leaders.
Singh, Baliyan and Dhankad have been asked to assure the community that both the Centre and the state were keen to work out an affirmative plan for the land owning community in Haryana.
In nine states–such as Delhi, UP, Rajasthan and Bihar– Jats are covered under the OBC list but for in Haryana.
To quell rumours that the ruling party might have instigated protest, anti-Jat MP from Kurukshetra, Rajkumar Saini, will be issued a show-cause notice for his utterances, which triggered an outrage among Jat leaders, said BJP general secretary Ani Jain, while clarifying that the BJP is not against any community.