Jat-PC meet fails, stir threat hangs
age Correspondents
March 19: A meeting between Union home minister P. Chidambaram and Jat leaders, demanding reservation under OBC (Other Backward Classes) category in central services, remained inconclusive on Saturday.
However, Jat protesters seeking job quota on Saturday cleared the railway tracks which they had been blocking for the past 15 days but have threatened to renew their stir if their demand was not met.
A delegation of 15-20 Jat leaders, led by Yashpal Malik, met Mr Chidambaram on Saturday. Union minister of social justice and empowerment Mukul Wasnik was also present in the meeting.
Jats from Haryana were also part of the delegation. According to sources, both the Union ministers informed the delegation that their demand has been referred to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) and the final decision would be taken by the commission only.
Secretary to the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment K.M. Acharya, who was also present in the meeting, told reporters: “The demand for inclusion of Jats into the central government list of OBCs has to be taken by the NCBC, for which the government cannot give any time-bound commitment as the commission was an independent entity. It is not possible for the government to give a time limit.”
Talking to reporters after the meeting , Mr Malik said, “We have decided to allow movement of trains following Friday’s Allahabad high court order and removed tents from the tracks. The government accepted that the demand of job quota for the Jats is justified. But the government did not give any commitment on the time-limit on implementation of our demand. We will return to the railway tracks if our demand is turned down.”
He said, “We have made it clear that we will continue with our demonstrations till the Central government takes adequate measures to comply with our demand. If no steps are taken by the union government for giving reservation to Jats under the OBC category in central services, we will intensify our agitation that would spread across the country and will not remain confined to UP or Haryana.”
Meanwhile, UP chief minister Mayawati insisted in Lucknow the Jats had cleared the tracks on her appeal.
“I again appeal to the Jats to place their demands before the centre in a disciplined manner and I fully support them,” Ms Mayawati said.