NEW DELHI: Former Delhi chief minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal has penned a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the inclusion of Delhi’s Jat community in the central OBC list.
In his letter, Kejriwal accused the BJP of betraying the Jat community and stressed that all OBC communities in the capital should be added to the central list.
“I am writing this letter to remind you of a promise you made on an important issue 10 years ago. Over the past few days, I have met with several representatives of Delhi’s Jat community, who have expressed concern over the exclusion of their community from the central OBC list,” the statement reads.
“These representatives informed me that on March 26, 2015, you invited representatives of Delhi’s Jat community to your residence and promised them that the Jat community, which is listed under Delhi’s OBC category, would also be included in the central OBC list. This would enable them to avail of reservation benefits in central government colleges and jobs in Delhi,” Kejriwal said further.
“Later, on February 8, 2017, Mr. Amit Shah convened a meeting of Jat leaders from Delhi and across the country at the residence of Chaudhary Birender Singh before the Uttar Pradesh elections. He promised that the OBC communities listed in state lists would be included in the central list as well.”
“Before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Amit Shah again met Jat leaders at the residence of BJP MP Parvesh Verma in Delhi and reiterated the promise that the Jat community of Delhi would be included in the central OBC list. However, no action was taken after the elections.”
“I would like to draw your attention to several inconsistencies in the central government’s policies regarding OBC reservations. For instance, I learned that Jat youths from Rajasthan benefit from OBC reservation in Delhi University because they are included in the central OBC list. On the other hand, Jat youths from Delhi, despite being listed under Delhi’s OBC category, are unable to avail of these benefits because your government has not included Delhi’s Jat community in the central OBC list,” Kejriwal added further.
He alleged that the central government has misled the Jat community for a decade with unfulfilled promises of OBC reservation.
Kejriwal also recalled a 2015 meeting where the Prime Minister reportedly assured Jat leaders that their inclusion in the central OBC list would be ensured.
