Everything You Need To Know About The Jat Quota Agitation

Two days back, this author wanted to write why the Jats are right in their demand for reservations and why all those who want to move towards income based reservation should support Jats and Patels in their demands. But right now, what has happened in Haryana has made that difficult and has nothing to do with the reservation debate. It is pure hooliganism.

The movement was temporarily hijacked by hordes of anti-social elements. Thugs, robbers, thiefs of all hues and castes were having a field day. There was complete breakdown of law and order. The police were nowhere to be seen. People were breaking into showrooms, stealing things and whatnot.

The movement was very peaceful for the first three days and only limited to bandhs and jams. So what led to the events that have come to be? We will come to that but first let’s take stock of the agitation.

What’s happening?

In Jhajjar city, though the jam was there for the last three-four days, the situation worsened yesterday when security forces finally opened fire on the protestors. In the firing, some people died and this sparked a revenge spree throughout the city. Potestors started burning any or every government property - rest houses, newly constructed patwari bhawan, bus stands, shops in front of the bus stand, police station, even a private petrol pump was set on fire. The house of the local Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal was also gutted.

The army disappeared after the flag march and was nowhere to be seen when the mob was rampaging across the city.

Today morning, members of non-Jat communities gathered in thousands and set the Jat dharmashala (rest house) on fire. Apparently, the dead bodies of those who died yesterday in firing were kept there and the relatives of those people were manhandled. These are just anecdotes and haven’t been confirmed. Rumors (unsubstantiated) that Chotu Ram’s statue was defiled added fuel to the fire. (Sir Chotu Ram is the most revered leader of peasants, not just Jats.)

After hearing such rumors, Jats from the neighbouring villages started pouring in and have surrounded the city from all sides. The army is back and is the only buffer between the city and mob of thousands.

The situation was totally out of control. This is the story of all major cities. Jats started protesting, army fired on the protestors, non-Jats also jumped in in some places as a show of strength, somebody started a rumour and the whole city gets lit up. This is the basic pattern that played out.

Who is Responsible?

To single out Jats would be to give in to dishonesty. The anger among the Jats has been simering for the past couple of years. The previous government headed by Hooda cleverly accepted all the quota demands and announced the OBC reservations for Jats days before election, knowing fully well that it would be quashed in the Supreme Court and they would lose, leaving the whole issue to be dealt by the new government.

The below are the five main factos responsible for this sudden bottom up agitation that engulfed the whole state in its flames.

First, an inexperienced Chief Minister. Manohar Lal Khattar has never lived in the state and it would be naive to expect him to understand basic caste reaslites of life in Haryana. His inexperience is showing. For days his attitude towards Jats was dismissive. He thought like the many failed attempts by Jats to agitate, this too shall fizzle out. For days, there was no initative for talks, just mere reassurances.

Second, the army was called too soon when there was clearly no need to do so. Protestors were peaceful and only limited to doing bandhs and jams here and there. Firing on protestors clearly turned the spark into a full-fledged fire. This confrontational attitude was not necessary. Talks should have been the first option, not the last.

Third, Rajkumar Saini, the BJP MP from Kurukshetra, has been making anti-Jat comments since he got elected. The community has repeatedly asked the BJP to reign him in but to no avail. One phone call from Amit Shah is all it would have taken for Saini to clam up. But since this was not done many in the Jat community believe that the BJP is playing a double game: propping up Saini as the leader of non-Jats while letting others in the BJP to pay lip service to the Jat reservation cause.

Fourth, non-Jat castes have come out in the open against the quota stir, especially those who have already got the reservation. People from these castes clearly don’t want Jats to be included as OBCs. Reservations for Jats would mean losing a little bit more of the OBC pie they have. Sadly, these clashes haven’t been limited to just words. Open caste riots have broken out in many cities as evident from the aforementioned case of Jhajjar.

Fifth, the agitation has no leader. It is totally a bottom up movement. Most of the agitators are young. This has made things worse for the government too. They don’t know who to talk to. Clearly, one can’t initiate talks with a mob. Lack of Jat leadership in Haryana can be sensed from the fact that Rajnath Singh had to talk to a group of Jat leaders from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

This has been a tricky situation for the government. This is not a mere reservation issue any more. Apart from maintaining law and order, restoring peace and caste brotherhood will now be an herculean task.

For normalcy to return, the government should shed its confrontational attitude. It should take up a conciliatary attitude towards the agitators and let them quickly disperse. Once that is done. the full might of the state should be unleashed upon those who have indulged in doing harm to life and property. The rule of law must triumph and must reign supreme.

As far as Jats are concerned, the so-called youth has shred to pieces the peace and prosperity of Haryana that their parents and grandparents ploughed so hard to achieve. They have failed their forefathers and the community.

It’s time the elders stepped in and stopped this madness.