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Ready to talk with govt, but only if they come to us: Jat leaders change stand
After refusing to hold talks with the state government over their ongoing agitation several times, All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) national president Yashpal Malik on Wednesday changed his stand and said they were ready for talks.
After refusing to hold talks with the state government over their ongoing agitation several times, All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) national president Yashpal Malik on Wednesday changed his stand and said they were ready for talks. The Manohar Lal Khattar led BJP government had on Tuesday constituted a five-member panel to consider the demands of the community, now sitting on dharnas in over 17 Haryana districts since January 29.
“We are yet to receive any official communication from the government. But have read in the media about the formation of the panel. We are ready to hold talks. But we won’t go to Chandigarh or Delhi. The government panel has to come here near dharna venues. After the talks, we will hold discussion with our people at Jassia and take a collective stand,” Malik, who was here in Jassia on Wednesday, said.
Asked why he changed his stand, he said, “We had refused to hold talks when the government was forcing anti-democratic orders at us by refusing to grant permission to hold dharnas in Panipat and some other districts. Now that they have, we, too, are ready for talks,” he said.
The Jat leader however maintained that the talks would only be successful if the panel fulfils all their demands. “The government has agreed to our demands thrice now. The panel has to come with all the paper work to show what work has been done on their previous promises.”
The agitation of the Jat community for their demands of reservation and rollback of cases registered during last year’s violent quota stir entered eleventh day on Wednesday, with crowds at the dharna spots only swelling further as they days proceed. Some student bodies had given a call to shut state colleges and universities from Wednesday in Haryana to support the agitation. However, reports said things remained normal and under control.
