Delhi polls | When will Modi and Shah...?: Kejriwal accuses BJP of betraying Jats over issue of reservation

Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) national convener and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday (Jan 13) hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by accusing it of betraying Jats of the national capital over the issue of reservation.

A report by the news agency PTI said that Kejriwal met a delegation of Jat leaders at his residence.

In a post on X, Kejriwal said that the delegation expressed anger over being betrayed by the BJP on the issue of reservation for the last decade and the injustice done to them.

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Following the meeting, Kejriwal addressed a press conference over the issue, which comes ahead of the February 5 assembly polls.

Jats in Delhi account for a significant chunk of votes in some assembly constituencies, especially in the outer Delhi areas.

'When will Modi and Shah...?'

Speaking to reporters, Kejriwal said that Jats (in Delhi) were part of Delhi's Other Backward Classes (OBC) list but were not a part of the central government's list.

“Jats from Rajasthan can get admissions in the Delhi University and its colleges, jobs in the AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital and all the central government organisations but not the Jats of Delhi,” Kejriwal said.

He added that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Home Minister Amit Shah had promised the Jats that they would be given OBC reservation at the central level but the promise remained unfulfilled.

“I want to ask Modi, Shah and other BJP leaders, when will they include Delhi’s Jats in the Centre’s OBC list?,” the former CM questioned.

Kejriwal writes to Modi on the issue

Last week, Kejriwal wrote to Prime Minister Modi, accusing him of breaking promises made to Jats over their inclusion in the central government's OBC list.

“I am writing this letter to remind you of a promise you made 10 years ago on an important issue. I met several representatives of the Jat community of Delhi in the last few days. All of them expressed concern over the neglect of the Jat community of Delhi in the OBC list of the Centre,” the letter stated.

The former CM also demanded similar OBC status for other communities in Delhi, including Rawat, Rauniyar, Raya-Tanwar, and Charan.

(With inputs from agencies)