Party lawmaker from Kurukshetra Raj Kumar Saini has condemned the decision of the centre and the state governments.
Highlights
- Saini against state, centre's decision to give in to protesters demands
- Saini served show cause notice by BJP for making "inflammatory" remarks
- Saini: How can community that burns police stations be termed backward?
The BJP's attempt to placate agitating Jats and end the violence sweeping Haryana has run into trouble from within the party. Party lawmaker from Kurukshetra Raj Kumar Saini has condemned the decision of the centre and the state governments, both led by his party, to agree on giving Jats reservation in jobs and higher education.
Mr Saini is already facing a party show cause notice for making statements dubbed "inflammatory" while the protests were on. He is alleged to have used social media to make public his views against reservation for Jats, using abusive language and accusing BJP ministers of threatening to eliminate him.
Speaking to NDTV, Mr Saini said he did not make any statement which can be termed inflammatory. Despite the show cause notice, he remains unrepentant. In a clear indication that he is opposed to reservation for Jats and won't stop saying it despite his party's efforts to resolve the crisis, Mr Saini said, "If quota has to be given on the basis of hostile protests then the government should announce quota for all 36 castes in Haryana."
"Otherwise, the question is: how can a community that is aggressive enough to burn police stations be called socially backward?" he asked. "The agitation is a conspiracy led by former chief minister Bhupinder Hooda, who is a jat," alleged the Kurukshetra lawmaker.
Asked about his own party lawmakers and Rural Development Minister Birender Singh supporting quota for Jats, Mr Saini shot back, "They are doing it because even they are Jats. The agitation has the backing of (jat) leaders irrespective of the outfit they belong to."
Mr Saini claimed the protests are an assertion of the Jat leaders that they will not accept a chief minister who is not from their community. "The protest is also to target the chief minister who is a Punjabi. Jat leaders have never accepted a non-Jat as chief minister," he charged.
With Mr Saini refusing to pipe down his aggression against the protesters or the community's leaders, the BJP has asked him to join the meeting chaired by Union minister Venkaiah Naidu tomorrow morning to discuss the crisis in Haryana. Keeping him out won't keep him quiet they know.