Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to include Delhi’s Jat community in the Centre’s OBC list. He accused the BJP-led central government of “cheating” the community in the name of OBC reservation for the last 10 years.
Kejriwal said at a press conference, “The Jat community is included in the OBC list of the Delhi government, but the Jat community of Delhi is not included in the OBC list of the Centre. Students from the Jat community of Delhi will be barred from applying for admission in Delhi University. Reservation is not available.”
He said, “Central government institutions do not provide reservation to the Jat community of Delhi. This is injustice to the Jat community living in Delhi.”
Kejriwal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised the Jat community of Delhi that they would be included in the Centre’s OBC list. He said, “In 2015, you (PM Modi) had called leaders of the Jat community to your home and promised that the Jat community of Delhi will be included in the OBC list of the Centre.
He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had also made similar promises to the community. AAP chief Kejriwal said, “If students of Jat community of Rajasthan have to get reservation in DU, then why don’t the Jat community of Delhi get it? Thousands of children of Jat community of Delhi get admission in DU because they are not in the OBC list of the Centre. Can’t get it.”
Kejriwal alleged, “Despite being in the OBC list in Delhi, the Modi government is not allowing Jats to get benefits in central government institutions.”
His attack against the Center comes in the backdrop of the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. Delhi Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on February 5 and counting of votes will take place on February 8. The last date for filing nomination is January 17. The date of scrutiny of nomination papers is January 18. Whereas the last date for withdrawal of names is January 20.
Congress, which has been in power in Delhi for 15 consecutive years, has suffered a setback in the last two assembly elections and has not been able to win a single seat. At the same time, AAP dominated the 2020 assembly elections by winning 62 out of 70 seats, while BJP got only eight seats.
