Gujjars extend support to Jats for grant of OBC status

Gujjars of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday extended support to the Jat community in their current struggle for grant of Other Backward Class (OBC) status.

Gujjars of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday extended support to the Jat community in their current struggle for grant of Other Backward Class (OBC) status.

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Ina letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and home minister Sushilkumar Shinde sent through Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation, Gujjars of the state supported the demand of Jats.

Javaid Rahi, secretary, Tribal Foundation, said, "Our organisation, after taking advice from the Jat community, has sent a communiqué to the Prime Minister and home minister.

Rahi asked the Jat community of northern India to support the ongoing movements of Gujjar community in different states for tribal status especially in the state of Rajasthan where they are struggling hard for grant of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status since last 66 years.

Rahi said: "Jats are already included in the state list of OBCs in nine states, excluding J&K. The government has recently recommended the inclusion of Jats of Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, two districts of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Bihar in the central list of OBC."

"Their inclusion will enable the Jat community to avail the benefits of reservation available to the OBCs for employment, admissions to the state and central government services and posts and educational institutions", he added.