The Haryana cabinet, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has unanimously put its seal of approval on the proposal to grant reservation to economically weak General Category ‘Savarnas’, Jats and four other castes. After this decision, economically-weak ‘Savarnas’ will be entitled to 10 per cent “vertical reservation” in government jobs. Four other castes – Jat Sikh, Bishnoi, Rod and Tyagi – have been given 10 per cent reservation under the category of ‘Special Backward Classes’.
The members of the Backward Classes and Dalits are feeling cheated by this decision and are planning to move the High Court. The decision has delighted the ‘Special Backward Classes’ and ‘Savarnas’ while the deprived and exploited classes are feeling embittered. The Haryana government’s decision is one of a kind, wherein reservation has been granted on socio-economic grounds to ‘Savarnas’.
After the Haryana decision, the Jats now want reservation for themselves in Central government jobs and have already voiced a demand to that effect. The leadership of the campaign is in the hands of the Chief Minister. In the view of Lahri Singh, former member of Haryana Vidhan Sabha, the state government was merely defrauding the Dalits, OBCs and General Category castes to serve its political ends. The Haryana government has also created a problem for the Centre. Jats and other General Category people are now demanding reservation in Central government jobs although the government does not seem to be inclined to concede their demand.
Published in the March 2013 issue of the Forward Press magazine
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