Jats divided on reservation agitation in Haryana

The leadership of the Jat community looked divided Sunday over the ongoing agitation seeking reservation for the community in government jobs.

After meeting Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here, one faction of the agitating Jat community announced that it would continue the protest while another faction said that the agitation was called off till March 22.

“We will go ahead with our agitation. Nothing was achieved in our meeting with the CM today (Sunday). The government is only giving false assurance to delay things. Nothing concrete has been achieved,” All-India Jat Aarakshan Samiti president Yashpal Malik told reporters here after the meeting.

However, another faction led by Hawa Singh Sangwan said that the protest was being called off till March 22 to give the state government some time to formulate a policy on this issue.

Sangwan said that they had urged the state government to withdraw cases registered against Jat agitators last year. He said that a nationwide agitation would be launched March 23 if the state and central governments did not announce reservation for Jat community by then.

The agitating Jat protestors are sitting along railway tracks at Mayyar village in Hisar district and another place in Bhiwani district. The protestors are also agitating along the National Highway No. 1 (NH-1) near Sonipat. However, the highway has not been blocked by them.

The Jat community had blocked railway tracks and roads in Hisar, Bhiwani and Jind district for nearly three weeks March last year seeking reservation for the community in government jobs.

The Hooda government had set up a commission last year to look into the reservation demand of the Jats and some other communities.