look news india
Just before the assembly elections, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP-led central government of reneging on the promise of providing reservation to the Jat community. He wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that the Jat community of Delhi be included in the central Other Backward Class (OBC) list.
Kejriwal accused BJP and said, “In 2015, Jat leaders were called to the Prime Minister’s residence and assured to include the Jat community of Delhi in the OBC list. Home Minister Amit Shah also made the same promise in 2019, but nothing has been done till now.”
AAP and BJP keep an eye on Jat community
Out of 70 assembly seats in Delhi, there are 8 Jat dominated seats, out of which 5 seats are held by Aam Aadmi Party, while 3 seats are held by BJP. The Jat community constitutes about 10% of the voters in Delhi and has influence in 60% of the villages. Their support can influence the election results.
To tap the Jat vote bank, BJP has put forward former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma’s son and former MP Pravesh Verma. At the same time, to strengthen the vote bank of Aam Aadmi Party, Kejriwal has made the demand for OBC reservation for the Jat community an election issue.
Effort to bring Kailash Gehlot to BJP
BJP has tried to bring Kailash Gehlot, a close aide of Kejriwal and MLA from Najafgarh, to its side to make a dent in the Jat voters. BJP hopes that through Gehlot, the Jat community in rural and outer Delhi can be won over to its side.
Kejriwal’s promise of OBC reservation
Kejriwal alleged that despite recognizing the Jat community in Delhi as OBC category, the central government did not give them the benefit. He said, “This is betrayal. If Jats are included in the OBC list, they will get the benefits of reservation in jobs and education.”
Election mathematics and strategy
In view of the elections, this issue is being considered as part of the strategy to woo Jat voters. Both BJP and AAP are trying to woo this influential community. At the same time, Kejriwal has promised to continue the fight against the central government on this issue.