New Delhi: Bowing to pressure from the agitating Jat community in Haryana, the Centre late on Sunday evening announced the setting up of a committee under senior Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu to examine the demand for quotas for Jats in Central government jobs, while fresh incidents of arson and violence left two more dead, taking the toll in the eight-day-long protests to 12.
A late-night statement by Union home minister Rajnath Singh said a committee headed by Mr Venkaiah Naidu had been formed to look into the demand for reservations in Central jobs for Jats. A bill is also expected to be brought in the coming session of the Haryana Assembly to give OBC status to Jats in the state.
A PTI report said Jat Sangharsh Samiti leader Jaipal Singh Sangwan, after meeting Mr Rajnath Singh, appealed for an end to the Haryana agitation, saying the Jats’ demands had been met. As the protests paralysed Haryana and also reached the doorsteps of Delhi in the past 24 hours, the National Crisis Management Committee met Sunday and asked the Haryana government to ensure that there was no disruption in water supply to Delhi.
The NCMC, headed by Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha, took stock of the situation in Haryana and directed the state government to take “stringent action” against those indulging in violence. Haryana suffered a loss of around Rs 20,000 crores due to the burning and destruction of public and private property due to the Jat stir, industry body Assocham said Sunday.
The Centre late on Sunday directed the security forces to clear all roads, railway tracks, canals and dams where the Jats were squatting, disrupting normal life. “The forces have been asked to clear all places where the protesters were squatting, affecting communications and water supply,” a senior government official said.
Home minister Rajnath Singh said: “I would like to make things clear regarding the ongoing protest. Just now, we have formed a committee which will be headed by our senior Cabinet minister M. Venkaiah Naidu. The committee has been asked to file a comprehensive report to find a solution of the issue as soon as possible.” He added, after a meeting with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and defence minister Manohar Parrikar to take stock of the situation: “I appeal to the people of Haryana to maintain calm and peace.”
The BJP issued a brief statement late on Sunday evening that party president Amit Shah had formed the committee under senior Cabinet minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, which would have BJP vice-presidents Satpal Malik and Avinash Rai Khanna, besides Union ministers Mahesh Sharma and Sanjeev Balyan, as members. “This committee will study all aspects of Jat reservations and hear out all sides and submit its report to the party chief and the Centre at the earliest. This committee will start working with immediate effect,” it added.
The meeting came shortly after a delegation of Jats had a meeting with the home minister where it was stated that a bill will be brought in the coming session of the Haryana Assembly to give OBC status to Jats in the state. BJP general secretary in charge of Haryana Anil Jail appealed to Jats to call off their agitation, which had badly hit life across the entire northern region, and return home as their demands had been met. “A bill will be brought in the coming session of the Haryana Assembly for granting OBC status to Jats in the state,” Mr Jain said after a Jat team had an hour-long meeting with the home minister.
While some fresh incidents of violence were reported, protesters started lifting blockades at some places late on Sunday evening after the Centre’s assurances. Reports said blockades from some national and state highways, including Saharanpur-Ambala at Yamunanagar, Paonta Sahib-Yamunanagar, Ambala-Kaithal, Saharanpur-Pipli-Kurukshetra, Zirakpur-Parwanoo and Ladwa-Shahbad, were being lifted. Normaility was also reported returning to some other cities, including Kaithal. Officials expected the situation would improve considerably by Monday due to Sunday’s developments in New Delhi.
Home minister Rajnath Singh also held confabulations with Jat leaders, including BJP’s Union minister Sanjeev Balyan and Haryana minister O.P. Dhankar, to end the protests that had wreaked havoc on road traffic, rail traffic and Haryana’s economy.
Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said the Army was working with the civil administration to maintain law and order in Haryana. “The Army is working with the civil administration. I have asked the Army to continue active support to the civil administration in maintaining law and order situation in the state,” Mr Parrikar told PTI.
The minister also chaired a meeting where the Army Chief and senior defence officials were present. He was apprised about the deployment of Army personnel in the state and the difficulties they faced. The minister also directed the Army to bring in engineering equipment to ensure smooth movement as the agitators had dug up several roads.
Incidentally, the Army, that prides itself on being an apolitical and highly professional force, itself has a large number of soldiers in its ranks who hail from Haryana and are Jats. Army Chief Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag hails from Haryana too, and belongs to the Jat community.
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