Kejriwal demands inclusion of Jat community in Central OBC list, BJP dismisses it as 'gimmickry'

Soon after the announcement of Assembly elections in Delhi on February 5, former Delhi chief minister and national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Arvind Kejriwal, on Thursday demanded the inclusion of Delhi's Jat community in the Central Other Backward Classes (OBC) list.

- AIMAN FATIMA

He also accused the BJP-led Central government of reneging on its promise to provide reservation to the capital's Jat community.

Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding the inclusion of Delhi's Jat community in the Central OBC list.

He also accused the Centre of misleading the community for the past decade and failing to deliver on its promises.

He questioned why Jat students from Rajasthan benefit from reservations in Delhi University, while Jat students from Delhi are denied the same.

The BJP dismissed Arvind Kejriwal's new-found love for Jats as gimmickry.

BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri hit back at Arvind Kejriwal for misleading Jats over quotas and said, "Jats are already in the OBC list of Delhi. Kejriwal should tell how many Jats he has given jobs to in Delhi in the last 10 years."

In his letter, Kejriwal highlighted the "glaring disparity" between the treatment of Jat communities in Delhi and Rajasthan. While Rajasthan's Jat community is included in the Central OBC list and enjoys benefits such as reservations in Delhi University, Kejriwal pointed out that Delhi’s Jat community remains excluded from these advantages.