Jat leaders in Haryana demanding backward class reservation have threatened to resume the violent agitation if Haryana government does not meet their demands. In a meeting of Jat leaders from across the state in Sonipat district on Saturday it was decided that the community will hit the streets again if the state government does not act.

Akhil Bhartiya Jat Mahasabha president Hawa Singh Sangwan also said that Jat community will not sit silently if their demands were not met.

During the recent Jat agitation there were sectarian clashes reported from the state in which 30 people were killed and public and private property worth Rs 10,000 crore was damaged. The agitators had also damaged canals supplying water to Delhi resulting in a massive water shortage in the Capital. There were reports of women being raped in Murthal but the allegations have not been substantiated till now.

The Haryana government, however, said that it will introduce reservation bills to Jat, Sikh Jat, Bishnoi, Tyagi and Ror community in next session starting March 14.

"A five member committee has already been constituted to prepare a draft of the bill to grant reservation under the ambit of the Constitution. The presidents of all registered political parties were asked to send the names of their representatives for the committee to pass the draft of the new bill," an official statement by the government said.

According to the government, the people associated with the agitation and others could submit their suggestions in this regard to the committees, so that their suggestions could be incorporated while drafting the bill.

"The issue of Jat reservation is not new in the state. Three commissions were constituted after Mandal commission and all of them had recognised Jat as a backward class in Haryana. We had submitted a memorandum to former PM VP Singh in 1990 requesting him to include Jats in the OBC quota. We have since been struggling for a reservation but governments under different political parties have not implemented it. If the Khattar government does not meet our demand, we would intensify our protest," said Yudhveer Singh, national secretary of Akhil Bhartiya Jat Mahasabha.

"Initially, we were protesting in peaceful manner. BJP MP Raj Kumar Saini had made objectionable remarks against the community which led to unrest among the people. He is responsible for provoking the Jats in the state, " Singh alleged.

Jat leaders have consistently tried to spread their stir to Punjab. Akhil Bhartiya Jat Mahasabha representatives recently met Congress leader Capt Amarinder Singh in Patiala.

Haryana government has so far released an interim assistance of Rs 20 crore to 1,537 people whose properties were damaged in the recent agitation.

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