By IANS,
Chandigarh : Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Akali Dal would be responsible if the Jats from the state are denied the benefit of reservation under the OBC quota in jobs and other educational institutions, Congress leader Amarinder Singh said Tuesday.
The former chief minister, in a statement issued here, said that the state government was still to present its case before the high level ministerial committee set up by the central government to examine the issue and recommend the case for reservation.
Noting the panel is scheduled to meet Feb 10 to examine the recommendations of the National Backward Classes Commission for providing reservation to Jats living in nine states, he said all these states have made the recommendations except Punjab.
“Punjab was still not included as the state government has not so far made any formal recommendation to the Backward Classes Commission, which is a mandatory requirement.”
Noting that the Akali Dal had passed a unanimous resolution seeking reservation for Jats in Punjab, he said the state government had still not made the move to the Backward Classes Commission.
“It appears that the state government is trying to play politics by not recommending the case to the Backward Classes Commission so that it could blame the central government for not providing the benefit of reservation to Jats in Punjab,” said Amarinder, a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC).
He said that several farmers’ organisations from Punjab had made a strong case for reservation as most Jats in Punjab were now having land holdings of less than two acres and there was massive unemployment among them.
If the state government recommends the case for reservation, Jat youth will be eligible under other backward classes (OBC) quota for about 1.25 lakh jobs in the central government and seats in various educational institutions, he said.