‘Jat agitation is politically motivated’

Capt. Abhimanyu says stir has nothing to do with common man

: Haryana Finance Minister Capt. Abhimanyu on Friday said the Jat agitation was politically motivated and had nothing to do with the common man.

He said earlier it was the Congress and now the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) had also extended support to the agitation, clearly indicating that the protests were politically motivated.

In a press statement, Capt. Abhimanyu said the State government had given the benefit of reservation to Jats and other castes by getting a Bill passed unanimously in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha.

He hoped that in view of the sentiments of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, the court would pronounce its decision in favour of the reservation.

He said Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar would write to the Union government as soon as the stay on reservation was vacated by the court, and include it in the ninth schedule of the Constitution.

In such a situation, there was no need for agitating, he added.

INLD slammed

Taking a dig at INLD, Capt. Abhimanyu said the party never thought of reservation during the time it remained in power.

“Now, the party is playing with the sentiments of people by indulging in cheap politics in the name of reservation,” he said.

He further said former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who had pushed the State into a fire of violence in the guise of agitation, was supporting the stir at some places.

‘Vested political interests’

He said Mr. Hooda, who remained Chief Minister for 10 years, brought up the reservation issue only towards the end of his tenure. “They [INLD and Congress] gave reservation just to fulfill their vested political interests. People of the State are well aware that both the parties have always played petty politics in the name of reservation and vitiated the peaceful atmosphere of the State,” he said.

Capt. Abhimanyu said Jats in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi had also got the benefit of reservation during BJP regimes.