Kejriwal demands inclusion of Jat community in Central OBC list, BJP dismisses it as ‘gimmickry’
NEW DELHI: Soon after the announcement of Assembly elections in Delhi on February 5, former Delhi chief minister and national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Arvind Kejriwal, on Thursday demanded the inclusion of Delhi’s Jat community in the Central Other Backward Classes (OBC) list.
He also accused the BJP-led Central government of reneging on its promise to provide reservation to the capital’s Jat community.
Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding the inclusion of Delhi’s Jat community in the Central OBC list.
He also accused the Centre of misleading the community for the past decade and failing to deliver on its promises.
He questioned why Jat students from Rajasthan benefit from reservations in Delhi University , while Jat students from Delhi are denied the same.
The BJP dismissed Arvind Kejriwal’s new-found love for Jats as gimmickry.
BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri hit back at Arvind Kejriwal for misleading Jats over quotas and said, “Jats are already in the OBC list of Delhi. Kejriwal should tell how many Jats he has given jobs to in Delhi in the last 10 years.”
In his letter, Kejriwal highlighted the “glaring disparity” between the treatment of Jat communities in Delhi and Rajasthan. While Rajasthan’s Jat community is included in the Central OBC list and enjoys benefits such as reservations in Delhi University, Kejriwal pointed out that Delhi’s Jat community remains excluded from these advantages.
“The Delhi government has an OBC list that includes the Jat community. However, the Central government’s OBC list does not include the Jat community of Delhi. When children from Delhi’s Jat community seek admission to Delhi University, they do not receive reservation benefits,” Kejriwal said at a press conference.
He pointed out that PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had met with Jat leaders from Delhi four times in the past ten years, each time assuring them of the change, but no action was taken.
“In the past ten years, three times by the country’s Home Minister and once by the Prime Minister, the Jat community has been given false assurances,” Kejriwal stated. “If the Prime Minister and Home Minister lie and do not fulfill their promises, and if they remember the Jat community only during elections, then what remains of trust?”
Kejriwal further emphasised the hypocrisy of the BJP’s stance, pointing out that Jats from Rajasthan receive reservations in various central institutions like Delhi Police, NDMC, DDA, AIIMS, and Safdarjung Hospital, while Delhi’s Jat community is denied similar benefits.
“Interestingly, the Jat community from Rajasthan is included in the central government’s OBC list. When they seek admission to Delhi University colleges, they receive reservation benefits. However, the Jat community from Delhi is denied reservation in the same Delhi University colleges. This is grave injustice inflicted upon people of Delhi’s Jat community,” Kejriwal said.
The letter also demanded that other communities, including Rawat, Rauniyar, Raya-Tanwar, Charan, and Od, which are listed as OBCs in Delhi, be included in the Central OBC list to ensure they receive similar educational and employment opportunities in central government institutions.
Kejriwal promised to continue the fight for justice, stating, “If they fail to do so, I, Arvind Kejriwal, today make a promise to the entire Jat community of Delhi: I will fight for your rights, and I will ensure that the central government fulfills these promises for you no matter what I need to do for this.”
Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia and Delhi Cabinet Minister Raghuvinder Shokeen also voiced their support for the cause, accusing the BJP of deceit and discrimination against Delhi’s Jat community.
Meanwhile, BJP candidate from New Delhi and former MP Parvesh Verma alleged that Kejriwal has started dividing Delhi on caste lines.
Kejriwal never remembered the Jat community in the past 11 years, he said.
“Arvind Kejriwal, who once spoke of secularism, is now dividing Delhi on caste lines. If anyone has given constitutional recognition to the National OBC Commission, it is PM Modi. For Jats or any caste to be included in the OBC list, the state government must first approve the proposal and send it to the OBC Commission.
“Kejriwal’s government held special sessions but used them only to criticise the Centre and the LG, never passing the OBC inclusion for Jats,” he stated.
