Thaindian News

Chandigarh, March 22 (IANS) Threatening to block the busy railway track and roads leading to Delhi and even disrupting the water supply to the national capital, agitating Jat community leaders in Haryana Tuesday said the central and state governments should take concrete steps by Friday to meet their demand for job quotas.

Hundreds of Jats continued to block railway tracks in Hisar, Jind and Bhiwani districts of Haryana Tuesday, saying they will not budge till their demand for inclusion in the other backward classes (OBC) quota was accepted by the central and Haryana governments.

“We will not withdraw our agitation till the central and state governments accept our demand for reservation. We will fight for our rights till the end,” Jat leader Hawa Singh Sangwan said.

Talks between Jat leaders and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Hisar Monday failed to yield any result.

Hooda had earlier said that Jats should get reservation only in central government jobs.

The Jat leaders have set two deadlines, March 25 (Friday) and March 28.

“If they do not accept our demands by March 25, we will block the Delhi-Ambala railway track. If they do not accept till the final deadline on March 28, we will block all railway tracks and roads in Haryana, including those going to Delhi,” Sangwan said.

Northern Railway authorities had Monday announced the cancellation of several trains passing through Haryana. Railway officials said trains were running behind schedule on the Delhi-Ambala route following diversion of trains due to the agitation.

In Hisar, Bhiwani and Jind districts, train services have been paralysed for the last nearly two weeks.

The central government has dispatched 10 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) to deal with the protestors if the situation gets out of hand.

“We are not afraid of the CRPF and other forces. We are ready for any sacrifice on this. We are five percent Jats in this country and we provide 80 percent of the food grains… we will prove that we matter,” Sangwan said.

The Haryana police have been drawing flak for not taking action against the protestors in the last two weeks despite the inconvenience caused to hundreds of train passengers.

Haryana’s director general of police (DGP) had warned the Jat protestors against blocking railway tracks last week but no action was taken to remove them.

Jat leaders said they did not trust Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda or opposition leader Om Prakash Chautala, both of whom are from the Jat community.