Sign up for A Piece Of Rainbow weekly newsletter!You are here: ››SENSEX28,668-104.91NIFTY 508,832-35.90GOLD (MCX) (Rs/10g.)31,307-25.00USD/INR66.65-0.02PortfolioStocksMFETFGet ET Markets in your own languageDOWNLOAD THE APP NOWCHOOSE LANGUAGEENGENG - EnglishHIN - HindiGUJ - GujaratiMAR - MarathiBEN - BengaliKAN - KannadaORI - OriyaTEL - TeluguTAM - TamilVenkaiah Naidu-led committee to look at Jat agitators’ demands from the central levelREAD MORE ON » Venkaiah Naidu | BengaluruRELATED VIDEOHaryana: Jat leader appeals for end to quota stir, says demands met NEW DELHI: Jat agitators continued to block roads and disrupt water supply to the national capital on Sunday with casteidentity politics still taking its toll. Haryana is one of the hubs of India's auto industry and also hosts the India headquarters of several Fortune 500 companies. With the situation rapidly spinning out of control, the state governments of Delhi and Haryana were forced to take precautionary measures, including the shutting of schools on Monday.

This has added a sense of urgency to the need to de-escalate matters and address a problem that has been festering for some time now. A high-level meeting chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday decided that the BJP government in Haryana will introduce a legislation to provide Jat reservation in state assembly and also constituted a high-level committee under Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu's chairmanship to look at the demand of agitators from the central level. The other members of the committee are ministers Mahesh Sharma and Sanjeev Balyan, and BJP leaders Satpal Malik and Avinash Rai Khanna. The announcement follows the violence and subsequent deaths in police firing as security personnel sought to contain the agitation led by the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) over the last few days forced the government and protestors to the negotiating table. "We have been assured that a five-minister team of union ministers will (seek) to defuse the situation," said Naresh Tikait, Jat leader from western Uttar Pradesh.

"We have also asked the government to provide Rs 50 lakh as compensation to every person killed in the police firing." The assurance was given at a late Saturday night meeting of a Jat delegation with Rajnath Singh, who was deputed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve a confrontation that doesn't make for good optics on the internal security front, especially given the fallout of the ongoing JNU protests. honeywell hepa air cleaner 50150However, the demands that the Modi government introduce legislation to include Jats in the national list of OBC castes and that the Haryana government issue an ordinance to grant OBC reservation for Jats in the state are fraught with legal risks and could invite a backlash from other communities. fresh air ecoquest air purifier reviewsStill, the BJP general secretary in charge of Haryana, Anil Jain, on Sunday announced that the state will present legislation in the assembly providing reservations for Jats after the conclusion of the meeting chaired by Rajnath Singh. hp designjet 9000s air purifier system

An earlier attempt by the previous UPA government on the eve of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections to include Jats in the OBC castes eligible for quotas in central government jobs and admission to central institutions had been struck down by the Supreme Court a year later. The current crisis, in a way, has its genesis in that politically expedient move of 2014. Soon after the Supreme Court quashed Jat reservations, a delegation of community leaders called on Prime Minister Modi seeking his help in restoring the measure. Modi, in fact, referred to their meeting at BJP's national executive in Bengaluru (in April 2015) and was cited to have said that in return for his help he had sought their support against female foeticide in the community. However, months later, the Modi government's review petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court in July 2015. But one of the demands of Jat community leaders made to Singh lays bare a deeper political divide within the BJP and, perhaps, an important backdrop to the current political crisis.

This was the demand for "stern action" against the BJP's Lok Sabha MP from Kurukshetra, Rajkumar Saini, an OBC leader who is against Jat reservation. In an apparent attempt to mollify the protestors, BJP has already issued a show-cause notice to the MP for airing his views publicly. "Regarding the recent statements made by few party leaders over the current issue, the party has distanced itself from any leaders who have made comments against Jats," Jain said before the Jat delegation's meeting with Singh. "Even after continuous warnings, Raj Kumar Saini kept making controversial statements and the party has issued a show-cause notice to him over that." Jats have been the politically dominant community in Haryana, comprising about 30% of the population. In the past, most state chief ministers, barring Bhajan Lal, have been Jats. In this political landscape, BJP built a formidable non-Jat base, which is why a non-Jat leader like Manohar Lal Khattar was made chief minister when the party won the 2014 polls.

But the BJP also sought to strike a balance by inducting Jat leaders such as Captain Abhimanyu and OP Dhankar in the state cabinet besides Chaudhary Birender Singh in the Union cabinet. Some believe that not having a Jat CM still rankles, as Saini pointed out. Share your feedback here.READ MORE ON » Venkaiah Naidu | BengaluruFollow this section for latest news on Politics and NationProtesters block NH-10 that passes through Sampla township in Rohtak, on Sunday. AS ONE faction of the Jats seeking reservation in jobs vacated the rail line passing through Mayar village in Hisar district on Sunday afternoon after two-day rail traffic disruption, another faction blocked traffic on National Highway-10 at Sampla in Rohtak district. Soon after they concluded their rally at Chotu Ram Memorial in Sampla around 3.00 PM pm, the Jat protesters decided to block the road at Sampla — till any state government minister assures them of reservation in government jobs on the lines of eight other states, including Uttar Pradesh.

The rally started around 12 noon and was attended by people from Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonepat. Various leaders of Khap Chaurasi, Hooda Khap, Khap Chaubisi, Dalal Khap Chaurasi, Ahlawat Khap, Malik Khap, Gulia Khap and others addressed the gathering. However, Jat protesters squatting on rail line at Mayar vacated the rail track around 2.30 pm Sunday after a meeting. It was on Saturday night that the Akhil Bhartiya Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti state head Hawa Singh Sangwan, after getting assurance of reservation from Haryana agriculture minister O P Dhankar at a meeting in Hansi resthouse, had taken a decision to end their agitation. People from Hisar, Bhiwani and Rohtak were squatting on the rail tracks at Mayar since February 12 afternoon because of which at least six trains were to be diverted on the route. It was only on Sunday afternoon that the rail traffic was restored to normal. Captain Man Singh Dalal (retd.), spokesperson of Dalal Khap Chaurasi, said, “Today we had a successful and peaceful rally at Sampla.

But after the rally, road traffic at Sampla has been blocked till any minister promises us reservation on the lines of Uttar Pradesh. We will not resort to any damage of property but without assurance we will not open the road.” He said that Rohtak SDM and DSP had also come on the spot but they informed them to convey to the government that they will only listen to the ministers. During the rally, speakers also attacked Rajkumar Saini, Kurukshetra BJP MP, for humiliating Jat community. Mahender Singh Nandal, head of Nandal Khap, said, “Today we had a huge gathering at the rally with the sole motive to get reservation in jobs. After the rally was over, most people peacefully returned home. But youngsters decided to block the road at Sampla. Though we tried to make them understand but they are adamant.” He said the that youngsters said that though the Haryana government had earlier given reservation to Jats, it later withdrew the same. Meanwhile, Akhil Bhartiya Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti leader Yashpal Malik, while addressing a sammelan in Delhi, said the countrywide agitation for reservation would start from Mayar in Hisar district on February 21 and from Uttar Pradesh on February 24.