Delhi: AAP intensifies outreach to Jats

The BJP criticised the AAP’s stand, accusing party convener Arvind Kejriwal of “provoking” the Capital’s Jat community over reservations

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday reiterated its demand for the inclusion of Jats from Delhi in the Centre’s list of other backwards classes (OBCs) so that they too can benefit from central government reservations in jobs and education.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal meets representatives of the Jat community in New Delhi on Monday. (Arvind Kejriwal-X)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, criticised the AAP’s stand, accusing party convener Arvind Kejriwal of “provoking” the Capital’s Jat community over reservations.

The development came as both parties, with an eye on the upcoming Delhi polls, attempt to woo electors from the community, which has around 700,000 and can play a crucial role in certain seats such as Mundka, Najafgarh, Nangloi Jat, Matiala, Bijwasan, Mehrauli, Bawana, Narela.

The Capital’s Jats are considered OBCs under the Delhi list of other backward classes, and enjoy the benefits of reservations in all Delhi government institutions. However, the community does not feature on the Central OBC list, which means that they are not eligible for reservation in central government institutions such as Delhi University.

To be sure, the Congress-led UPA government had included Jats in the Central OBC list before the 2014 general elections, but the Supreme Court in 2015 cancelled the decision and questioned why the government ignored the findings of a panel, advising against quota for the community.

On Monday, Kejriwal met a delegation of Delhi Jat leaders at his residence, after the AAP convener on January 9 wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking that the community be added to the Central OBC list.

Later speaking at a press conference, Kejriwal said, “Dozens of Jat leaders came to meet me to express their gratitude for the letter I wrote to the Prime Minister. In the letter, I reminded the Prime Minister of the assurance he gave in 2015 to Delhi’s Jat community... PM Modi had promised that while Delhi’s Jat community is included in Delhi’s OBC list, it is not in the central OBC list, and that it would be added to the Central list as well.”

The AAP chief said Union home minister Amit Shah repeated these assurances on several occasions.

“However, it is deeply painful to note that despite these assurances from the country’s top leader and its second-most senior leader, the promises remain unfulfilled,” Kejriwal said.

The BJP hit back, accusing Kejriwal of attempting to provoke Jats over reservation.

“In a desperate attempt to save his sinking political ship, Arvind Kejriwal is trying to provoke the Jat community of Delhi in the name of reservation… However, he will not succeed. The Jat community of Delhi wants to ask Kejriwal why he never presented a Jat reservation proposal in the [Delhi] assembly during his 10-year tenure,” said BJP leader and West Delhi MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat.

“Kejriwal, frustrated by the despair of impending defeat, alternates between trying to incite religious unrest by raising issues of temple demolition, frightening slum dwellers with the fear of their slums being demolished, and provoking the Purvanchali community… During his decade-long tenure, Kejriwal never cared about the concerns of the Jat community. But now, in a bid to save his political career, he is… [provoking] Delhi’s Jat community in the name of reservation. However, he will not succeed,” she added.

Sehrawat also alleged that Kailash Gehlot — a prominent Jat leader from Delhi who switched over from the AAP to the BJP in November — has said that whenever he raised issues related to the welfare of the community, Kejriwal would ignore them.

“The Jat community of Delhi is well aware that they could have received caste-based reservation only if Kejriwal had passed a proposal in the assembly, obtained Cabinet approval, and sent it to the lieutenant governor, which he never did,” she said.