The community constitute nearly 29 per cent of Haryana's population. The Jats have a significant presence in Rohtak, Hisar, Sonepat, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Jind and Jhajjar.
With the general election and the Assembly polls in Haryana scheduled to be held in 2019, the demand of reservation by the dominant Jat community will be a crucial poll issue.
The reservation stir in 2016 has bitterly divided the agrarian and highly industrialised state on the border of national capital on the caste lines. Analysts believe that the Jat community, which provided the BJP the necessary traction to register its maiden victory in October 2014 Assembly polls, is drifting away over the issue of reservation.
The community constitute nearly 29 per cent of Haryana's population. The Jats have a significant presence in Rohtak, Hisar, Sonepat, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Jind and Jhajjar.
The community is once again gearing up for a fresh agitation ahead of the 2019 polls. Yashpal Malik, the president of All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS), which is spearheading the Jat agitation, says, "The community is ready to fight the battle again on the streets as well as in the polling booths. But there is a catch. Other backward castes don't want reservation for the Jat community as it will directly affect their share of quota. The OBC brigade, under BJP's Kurukshetra MP Raj Kumar Saini, is cobbling a front to oppose quota to Jats.
The government has sandwiched itself between the Jats and OBCs. Saini is planning an anti-BJP front ahead of 2019 polls and claims to have support of other communities as well, in case the Jats are provided reservation. "The OBC population is not happy with the present BJP government following the mishandling of violent Jat agitation 2016 in the state. Ahirs, Yadavs, Gujjars among others are now looking for a change in state leadership," said OBC brigade, Haryana chief Rampal Rathi.
Jat leaders also lament, their community had been hoodwinked in the last elections by the BJP. "The community was hoodwinked by the BJP. It was taken for a ride with lots of false promises, which are now haunting the BJP. Also, after Jat stir and several rounds of meetings between the government and the community, the issues still remain unsettled," said INLD state president Ashok Arora.
The BJP's decision of having a non-Jat CM Manohar lal has also upset the Jat caste. The Jat Ministers, Capt Abhimanyu and OP Dhankar, and BJP state president Subhash Barala do not have a mass base in Jat belt, like former CMs Congress' Bhupinder Singh Hooda and INLD's chief OP Chautala.
As a poll strategy, while the Congress and INlD are luring the Jats to its fold, the BJP is looking to unite non-Jat vote bank including Dalits, Brahmins, Banias, Ahirs, Gujjars and Yadavs for 2019. The political observers feel that even if the BJP focuses on cobbling together non-Jat vote bank to win, it still cannot ignore the political and social might of the Jat community in the state. "2019 elections will be no cakewalk for any party in Haryana. Politics of identity based on caste will play a key role in elections," said Jitender Prasad, retired Professor, Department of Sociology, Maharashi Dayanand University, Rohtak.
The BJP is likely to focus on cobbling together other castes, including Dalits (19 per cent population), Brahmins, Ahir, Gujjars among others but this will help the party only in some segments. The violent Jat quota agitation in 2016 left a dreadful legacy of death and destruction in Haryana. The agitation had left 31 people dead, wounded more than 200, destroyed property worth hundreds of crores of rupees bringing Haryana and adjoining areas to a halt for more than 10 days.
HARYANA
- March 2008 All India Jat Mahasabha raised the demand for quota
- Sept 2010 All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS), led by Hawa Singh Sangwan, blocked train traffic in Hisar’s Mayyar village
- Dec 2012 Haryana government gave Special Backward status to Jats with 10 per cent quota to five castes
- March 2014 Jats granted the OBC status by the UPA government
- March 2015 SC scrapped the notification that granted OBC status
- March 2015 Prime Minister Narendra Modi met representatives of Khap Panchayats and Jat leaders
- Feb 2016 AIJASS resumes their agitation for inclusion of Jats in OBC
- May 2016 Punjab and Haryana HC stayed reservation for Jats
- Jan 2017 AIJASS began dharnas for their demand of reservation in 19 Haryana districts
- March 2017 Peaceful protests turned violent in Faridabad. Security forces were injured in clashes
- March 2017 Haryana Chief Minister Manoharlal Khattar called Jats for meeting in Delhi. Agreement is reached on six demands
Compiled by DNA-Research N Archives
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