Jats give ultimatum, tell Khattar govt to meet quota demand by

Jat leaders in Haryana have threatened to resume their quota agitation, which rocked the state last month and claimed 30 lives, if the Manohar Lal Khattar government does not meet their demand by March 17.
"On March 17, we will decide on the next mode of action on whether to block roads, railway tracks or any other type of agitation," All India Jat Mahasabha chief Yashpal Malik told PTI over phone today.
Jat leaders from across the state have decided that community members will hit the streets again if the state government does not act, he said, adding that dharnas this time would also cover the rural areas.

"The state government has time till March 17. So far the government has not responded to any of our demands," said Akhil Bhartiya Jat Mahasabha president, Hawa Singh Sangwan.
Yesterday, members of the Jat community held demonstrations across the state.
Malik said the "government is keen to crush the members of Jat community even though their protest was peaceful". He also said the government should control its ministers from issuing statements against the Jat community.

He claimed that the Jat agitation continued since 2005-06 in 13 states, including Uttar Pardesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Madhya Pardesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, in a "peaceful manner".

Political outfits in Haryana have for their vested interests given the Jat community a bad name, he said as he sought a probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge into incidents of violence in Haryana recently.
The state government must bring a Bill in the ongoing budget session of the Assembly to ensure reservation for Jats, he said.
"Those who fired upon peaceful protesters in Haryana recently must be dealt with sternly," he said, adding that those killed during the agitation must be compensated by the Khattar government through award of jobs to their next of kin.
Meanwhile, in Rohtak, the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge SK Garg rejected the interim bail plea of Prof Virender Singh, political adviser to former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Virender has been booked under several charges, including sedition, in connection with clashes during the Jat agitation.
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Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki had yesterday referred to the violence by miscreants during the recent Jat quota agitation in his address to the state Assembly, saying these events derailed the state from the "fast track of development".
"These events also aim to derail the state from the fast track of development," Solanki, who did not use the word 'Jat agitation', said in his address on the opening day of the Haryana Assembly's Budget session.
He said he has full faith that the state government enjoys the total support of all the "right-thinking people of Haryana".

The state government would restore mutual love and brotherhood and continue to keep the state on the road of swift economic growth and all-round progress in keeping with the mantra of 'Haryana ek-Haryanvi ek'.
In a reference to the violence during the stir, Solanki said, "A few weeks back some dark forces created law and order problems in eight districts of the state... These attempts were thwarted by swift and resolute action by the government and peace and order were restored in all parts of the state in a short time."
He also placed on record the government's appreciation of the contribution of the armed forces and paramilitary forces in restoring peace and order in the wake of the agitation.

Meanwhile, Jat Reservation Committee Vice President
Moolchand Dahiya demanded that criminal cases registered against community members following the protests that crippled Haryana be withdrawn.
He further said that "if any Jat person or leader is grilled by police, it should be done in front of local leaders and members of the community".
He warned the state government that a protest would be launched again on March 18 if their demands are not met.
Meanwhile, an official spokesman said that "no innocent will be tortured and legal action will be taken against those found guilty during the investigation".
Addressing the Assembly yesterday, Solanki had referred to the losses suffered by people during the "unrest", saying "while no amount of monetary compensation can undo the complete loss caused, prompt disbursement of assistance surely provides immediate succour".

He said by March 12, the state government has completely settled claims of up to Rs 50,000 in respect of 501 families including rehriwalas, small vendors and shopkeepers.
Jats had yesterday handed over a memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Deputy Commissioners of the various districts threatening a renewal of their stir unless a decision on their demand was not taken soon by the Haryana and the central governments.
Clashes during the Jat star left 30 people dead while public and private property worth Rs 10,000 crore was damaged.
The agitators had also damaged canals supplying water to Delhi, resulting in a massive water shortage in the national capital. There were also reports of women being raped in Murthal but the allegations are so far unsubstantiated.

The Haryana government had said it will introduce reservation bills for Jats, Sikh Jats, Bishnois, Tyagis and the Ror community during the session.
"A five-member committee has already been constituted to prepare a draft of the Bill to grant reservation. The presidents of all registered political parties were asked to send the names of their representatives to the committee," an official release had said.
People may submit their suggestions on the quota issue to the committee, it said.
"The issue of Jat reservation is not new in the state. Three commissions were constituted after Mandal commission and all of them had recognised Jats as a backward class in Haryana.

"We had submitted a memorandum to former PM VP Singh in 1990 requesting him to include Jats in the OBC quota. We have since been struggling for a reservation but governments under different political parties have not implemented it. If the Khattar government does not meet our demand, we will intensify our protest," said Yudhveer Singh, national secretary of Akhil Bhartiya Jat Mahasabha.
"Initially, we were protesting in peaceful manner. BJP MP Raj Kumar Saini made objectionable remarks against the community, which led to the unrest. He is responsible for provoking the Jats in the state," claimed Yudhveer.
Jat leaders have tried to spread their stir to Punjab. Akhil Bhartiya Jat Mahasabha representatives recently met Congress leader Capt Amarinder Singh in Patiala.