Anger in Jatland: After SC ruling on quota, Jats may take the protest route

Chandigarh: After the Supreme Court’s verdict scrapping then UPA government’s decision on reservation for the Jat community, the Jatland in northern India – that includes nine states – may witness a bout of agitations and street protests. The decision allowed the Jats to get reservation in jobs and educational institutions. While setting aside the reservation, the Supreme Court judges contended that “We set aside the notification to implement Jats in the Central list of Other Backward Classes (OBC)… Caste, though a prominent factor, can’t be the sole factor to decide backwardness… Backwardness has to be social backwardness and not educational or economic backwardness.” [caption id=“attachment_2160627” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The apex court’s order was based on several petitions, including one by OBC Reservation Raksha Samiti, which had challenged the previous UPA government’s decision to include Jats in the central OBC list. The quota was announced on 4 March, 2014 just a day prior to the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls. With a sizeable number of Jats in the state, Haryana was also one of the beneficiaries. The Modi-led BJP government, which swept to power in the Lok Sabha elections favoured the UPA government’s decision later, ahead of the assembly elections in Haryana and some other states. The Jats, who seemed to have deserted both Congress and the Indian national Lok Dal, played a crucial role in the massive victory of the BJP in the Haryana assembly elections of 2014. Reacting to the Supreme Court decision, Yashpal Malik, one of the most prominent Jat leaders of Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, said they were totally disappointed by the court’s decision. “The centre must contest the court’s decision and go for a review petition at the earliest. If it doesn’t do this, we will be forced to launch an agitation in the states.” OP Sindhu, president, Jat Reservation Sangarsh Samiti said they will file a review petition in the Supreme Court and if it fails they will take to the streets and launch an agitation. Speaking to Firstpost, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda who had played a leading role in getting reservation for the community, said he was yet to go through the Supreme Court decision and would not be able to give his reaction now. Randeep Singh Surjewala, Congress spokesman, MLA from Kaithal in Haryana and a well-known Jat leader, said the UPA government had taken a conscious decision to grant Jat reservation after taking into account all factors and social conditions. Supreme Court has set it aside. “We sincerely hope that the BJP and PM Narendra Modi will examine the issue threadbare and do complete justice,” he said. Similar views were expressed by Haryana Congress president Dr Ashok Tanwar. “The Supreme Court decision is a legal issue. The Congress party has always been a champion of the backward and the weaker section of society, the SCs, STs, BCs and OBCs. The Congress stands for social justice and social empowerment. In this connection, if the reservation had been provided to the Jats by the UPA government, it must have been done for a good cause and not for deriving any electoral benefit. It is up to the existing government at the centre now to go for appeal in the SC. We are going to seek legal opinion in this regard to see what can be done,” he said. Hawa Singh Sangwan, a leader of the Jat Arakashan Sangharsh Samiti, said they would contest the SC decision. “We will allow the centre to file a review petition in the SC. If we don’t get back reservation for the Jat community, we will be forced to launch an agitation for our rights,” he said. Social activist, Karamvir Singh said, “The Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government in Haryana had given 10 percent reservation to Jats and five other communities with prospect of gaining their support in the Lok Sabha and later the Vidhan Sabha polls in Haryana. The reservation to the SCs, BCs and OBCs were provided to the people because they were economically, socially and educationally backward which was not the case for the Jats.” Gyan Chand Gupta, BJP MLA from Panchkula, Haryana, said it was not proper to comment on the SC decision. Asked if the BJP was in favour of the reservation for Jats or not, Gupta said it was the prerogative of the NDA government to take a decision in this regard. The BJP government in Haryana will toe the centre’s line, he said. Taking a contrary view, Digvijay Singh Chautala, grandson of former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), said their party’s stand since Late Devi Lal has been clear —reservation in the country should be on the basis of economic backwardness and not caste based. “A person belonging to any caste should get reservation if he is economically backward. On the other hand SCs, BCs, OBCs or Jats should not get reservation on the caste basis. I am a Jat myself and come from a good family. Tell me, why should I get reservation facility just because I happen to be a Jat?” Commenting on the issue, Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh said, “The NDA had given its assent to the Jat reservation issue earlier, but if the SC has given an order to cancel it, then we should respect that decision and abide by it.”