Arvind Kejriwal, the National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the inclusion of Delhi’s Jat community in the Centre’s Other Backward Classes (OBC) list.
Kejriwal accused the BJP-led central government of ‘cheating’ the Jat community by denying them the benefits of OBC reservations for the past decade.
At a press conference, Kejriwal stated, “Delhi government OBC list consists of the Jat community, but the OBC list of the centre does not consist of the Jat community of Delhi. The Jat community students of Delhi do not get reservations when they apply for the Delhi University admission.”
“Central government institutions do not offer reservations to the Jat community of Delhi. This is injustice for the Jat community living in Delhi,” he asserted.
Kejriwal noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured the Jat community in Delhi of their inclusion in the Centre’s OBC list.
“In 2015, you (PM Modi) called the 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,” said the AAP National Convenor.
Kejriwal also mentioned that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had made similar promises to the community.
He questioned, “If the students of the Jat community of Rajasthan are to get a reservation in DU, then why don’t the Jat community of Delhi get it?”
Impact On Jat Students
The AAP National Convenor emphasized that this disparity has led to thousands of Jat students in Delhi missing out on university admissions due to the lack of central government recognition.
“Despite being in the OBC list in Delhi, the Modi government is not allowing Jats to get benefits in the institutions of the Central Government,” Kejriwal claimed.
Kejriwal’s statement comes ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, which will take place on 5 February, with vote counting set for 8 February.
The nomination deadline for candidates is 17 January, and the scrutiny of nominations will take place on 18 January.
The deadline for withdrawing candidature is 20 January.
The Congress, which held power in Delhi for 15 years, has faced setbacks in the last two assembly elections, failing to win any seats.
In contrast, the AAP dominated the 2020 assembly elections, securing 62 out of 70 seats, while the BJP managed just eight.
Also Read: BJP Launches Aggressive Campaign For Delhi Elections; Targets AAP
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