Jats

Om Prakash Chautala was a tall figure in Indian politics and a prominent leader of the Jat community, but his career was marked with controversies and jail term. Born on January 1, 1935, Chautala, a five-time Haryana chief minister, passed away in Gurugram on Friday at the age of 89. Born into an influential political family, Chautala was the eldest son of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal and headed the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), a party founded by his father. Chautala's father was a tall figure in Indian politics. Devi Lal had also served as chief minister of Haryana and was considered a messiah of farmers. Though Chautala could never match the stature his father enjoyed, he was known for his sharp political acumen and wit despite not being well-educated. Chautala served as chief minister of the state for five terms, though it was between 1999 and 2005 that he enjoyed a full term. In between, right from 1989 to July 1999, he served intermittent terms in office. When De

The argument that Jat vs non-Jat was a dominant factor in elections doesn't hold ground when one looks at the caste arithmetics of the Haryana poll verdict

Representatives of a Jat body met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday and pressed for the inclusion of life stories of major personalities from the community, including King Suraj Mal, in text books, a statement from them said. The delegation of 'Antarrashtriya Jat Sansad' (International Jat Parliament) included Ramavatar Palsaniya, P S Kalwaniya and Ram Singh Kulhari. Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat also joined the meeting, the statement said. The members expressed their deep condolences to Modi on the death of his mother, it added. They also presented the prime minister with a picture of Suraj Mal, the legendary Jat king. They also briefed Modi about the work undertaken by their body in various fields, including education, art and culture, and literature, it said.

With just a year to go for the UP elections, the wave of sympathy for the RLD could play spoiler for the BJP in western UP, which accounts for about a 4th of the Assembly constituencies in the state

The govt's bid to 'criminalise' farmers' dissent seems to have ended up infusing new energy into the agitation: Those who had gone back exhausted to villages have returned emotionally charged

Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb issued a clarification over his statement on Sardars and Haryanvi Jats saying, he had mentioned the views of "some people" about these two communities

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb has courted controversy by saying Punjabis and Jats are physically strong but less brainy while Bengalis are known as very intelligent

The Jats are demanding reservation for the community in government jobs and educational institutions