AAP terms BJP 'anti-Jat', questions 'delay' in Shokeen's appointment

The AAP Tuesday accused the BJP of having an "anti-Jat mindset" while citing the "delay" in the swearing-in of Raghuvinder Shokeen as a minister in the Delhi government.

Shokeen's appointment as minister, to replace Kailash Gahlot who quit AAP and joined the BJP, was announced by the ruling party last month.

In a joint press conference, AAP leaders questioned the "delay" in the swearing-in of Shokeen, an MLA from the Jat-dominated Nangloi constituency in the city.

"The BJP's anti-Jat mindset has been exposed," AAP's chief national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar charged.

Even 20 days after his nomination, Shokeen has still not been sworn in as a cabinet minister, she said.

"The AAP government on November 18 sent the file to appoint MLA Raghuvinder Shokeen as a Cabinet minister but it hasn't been approved yet," Kakkar claimed.

Questioning the "delay", another AAP leader Anurag Dhandha said, "Does the BJP not want a Jat leader to become a minister?"  The file for the appointment of a new member to the Delhi Cabinet is moved by the chief minister to the Delhi LG office for seeking approval of the President of India.

The AAP leaders charged that the BJP's tactics are aimed at "eroding the political relevance" of Jats and the farmers. It has fuelled anger across rural Delhi, they claimed.