Amid the farmers protest in various states, the Jats, an influential community in Northern India, have threatened to launch an agitation if they are not given reservation in Haryana.
The Jat leaders have given an August 15 deadline to Haryana's BJP government to fulfil their demands otherwise they would start protests outside the venues of all functions attended by Chief Minister Manoharlal Khattar and his cabinet members.
A key body of the community passed a resolution to this effect in Rohtak in Haryana. “We have passed a resolution. If our demands aren't fulfilled by 15 August, we will stage protest at the same place where Haryana chief minister will hold rally. We will not let the government function,” Yashpal Malik, All India Jat Aarkashan Sanghrash Samiti (AIJASS) leader said. Malik has been leading the Jats protests for reservation.
Malik said he would even urge the Jats to boycott elections so that they could teach BJP a lesson.
In the past few elections, the Jats had sided with the BJP particularly in 2014 Lok Sabha polls and Haryana and Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. However, as farmers' woes increase, their anger could spell trouble for the BJP. This was evident during the Kairana Lok Sabha bypoll where Ajit Singh's RLD fielded a Muslim candidate, who won the elections. RLD has been a political party with a Jat base. The bypoll showed that Jats were amenable to vote with Muslims, even though sharp polarisation had taken place in 2014 elections.
The BJP would again need to placate the farmers and the Jats as three states ruled by it are going to polls later this year. Jats have presence in Rajasthan.