New Delhi [India], January 9 : AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the central government to include Delhi’s Jat community in the OBC (Other Backward Classes) list. Kejriwal accused the BJP-led Centre of deceiving the Jat community for the past decade regarding OBC reservations.
“The Delhi government’s OBC list includes the Jat community, but the central government’s list does not. As a result, Jat students in Delhi are denied reservations when applying for admissions at Delhi University,” Kejriwal said during a press conference.
He further pointed out that central government institutions also do not offer reservations to Delhi’s Jat community, calling this an injustice.
Kejriwal reminded Prime Minister Modi of his 2015 promise, when he assured Jat leaders that Delhi’s Jat community would be included in the central OBC list. He also referenced similar promises made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“If Jat students from Rajasthan are eligible for DU reservations, why are Delhi’s Jat students denied the same?” Kejriwal asked. He emphasized that thousands of Jat children in Delhi are missing out on university admissions due to their absence from the central OBC list.
Despite being recognized in the OBC list in Delhi, Kejriwal claimed that the Modi government is preventing Jats from benefiting in central government institutions.
This move by Kejriwal comes as the Delhi Assembly elections approach, scheduled for February 5, with the counting of votes on February 8. The last date for filing nominations is January 17, with the scrutiny of nominations on January 18 and withdrawal of candidature by January 20.
In the previous Delhi Assembly elections, AAP secured 62 out of 70 seats, while the BJP won just eight. The Congress, which previously ruled Delhi for 15 years, has faced significant losses in the last two elections, failing to secure any seats in 2020.