Restore BC quota in a month or face stir

Ananya Panda

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 30

Agitated by the state government’s move to include the Jat community in the Backward Classes ‘C’ category, the Haryana Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (HBSS) today served a one-month ultimatum on the Centre demanding restoration of 16 per cent and 11 per cent quota to the BC ‘A’ and BC ‘B’ categories, respectively, under Classes I and II. Members of the samiti threatened to intensify the stir if the demand was not met. 

They held a demonstration at Jantar Mantar today. Led by chief patron and former state minister Captain Ajay Yadav, they later submitted a memorandum to officials at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office demanding a probe by a sitting Supreme Court/ High Court judge into the Jat stir arson and violence.

The samiti protesters questioned the authenticity of the Justice KC Gupta Commission report and sought a CBI inquiry into allegedly “forged” signatures in the panel report under the supervision of the same sitting judge.

“The Justice KC Gupta report, which was dismissed by the National Commission for Backward Classes and the Supreme Court both, is being made the basis for Jat reservation by the Haryana Government. We don’t want the government to tinker with reservation for the BC-A and B under Classes I and II and keep the Jats separate,” said Yadav.

“Former DGP Prakash Singh-led panel report set up to investigate the violence during the Jat agitation had mentioned about pressure from the top to drop few names from the probe. The names of the top bosses should be ascertained and they should be punished,” said Dayaram Yadav, HBSS president.

He said their memorandum batted for the demands of the agitating retired Army personnel while pitching for a separate Ahir/Yadav regiment in the Army. 

Meanwhile, a delegation of the Jat community today met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh after protesting outside his residence asking him not to punish “innocent” Jat leaders. They assured him that this time the agitation would be held away from National Highway. Later, Rajnath spoke to the Haryana CM over the issue.