Jats put off strike till April 3

The Haryana government on Friday heaved a sigh of relief after the Jat community put off its plan to resume the agitation for quota.

Representatives of Jat community said they would meet on April 3 to decide the next action plan in case the government failed to accept their demand, including withdrawal of cases against “innocent” people who they claim were wrongly booked by the police during the protests.

The government has promised to pass a bill on Jat reservation in the ongoing session of the Haryana Assembly. Jat leaders, however, have been threatening to resume agitation over cases.

Certain ministers, including state Health Minister Anil Vij, have expressed displeasure over the manner in which the Jat leaders have been threatening the government.

There will be no agitation till April 3, All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti president Yashpal Malik said on Friday.  The government has been on alert since the last few days.

The Centre has sent 3,000 paramilitary personnel to Haryana and deployed hundreds of soldiers to guard the Munak canal that supplies water to Delhi. During the recent Jat agitation, in which as many as 30 people were killed and hundreds left injured, protesters had taken over the Munak canal, cutting off water supply to the national capital.

“The government will bring a bill on Jat reservation during the ongoing session of Haryana Vidhan Sabha”, Haryana Chief Secretary D S Dhesi said. Dhesi said all aspects of the bill were being worked out and detailed discussions were held between officers of the government and representatives of Jat organisations in a meeting on Friday.

Dhesi said consensus on the setting up of a committee at the level of Central government was achieved in the meeting held on February 21 and 22. He said a committee at the Central level has been constituted and was working on this issue.

Jat representatives have also been asked to send any law specialist for discussion and to give suggestions to the government in drafting the bill.