With an eye on jat votes in north India, Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh, who has been anointed as the president of Akhil Bharatiya Jat Mahasabha, on Friday assured the community of reservation under the OBC quota.
Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Renuka Chaudhary and Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda also attended the jat convention here at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium on Friday.
“Jats are spread in 14 states. Six states have already listed them under OBC category for quota in government jobs and rebate in other schemes. Rest of the states should list the community under OBC. Jats are farmers by profession and many of them have committed suicide due to less incomes or loans. Reservation under the OBC quota will help the farmer community. Education over female foeticide is also equally important for the community,” Captain Amarinder Singh said. He also underlined that the community needs reservation for only those who are needy.
“We have to separate the creamy layer. We only want reservation for those jats whose land holdings are less than eight acres and whose annual income is less than `4.5 lakhs,” he added.
In a bid to garner jat votes in the upcoming Assembly elections, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit reminded the community leaders that Delhi was the first state to provide reservation to jats.
“We have also abolished Rule 81 from the Delhi Land Acquisition Act to provide relief to the residents of 360 villages of the capital. We have also extended the Lal Dora (forest area),” she said.
On the demand of jat leaders, Ms Dikshit said that the city government will construct a Kisan Bhavan in Delhi for the farmers coming from neighbouring states.
Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that the Centre is considering to provide reservation to the jat community.
“The talks about reservation for jats are in final stages. We will get good news soon,” he said.
Ajit Singh and Renuka Chaudhary also assured that the community will get reservation before elections. “The girl population among jats has been declining continuously. There is a need of awareness campaigns in villages,” Ms Chaudhary said.