Don’t pay power, water bills: Jat body

Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Jassia (Rohtak), February 19

Taking its ongoing agitation to the next level, the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) has declared to increase the number of their statewide dharnas from 20 to 30, launch a non-cooperation movement against the government with non-payment of electricity and water bills and loan instalments and stage a demonstration in Delhi on March 2.

“If our demands are still not met, we will storm Delhi by tractor-trailers and gherao Parliament House a couple of days after Holi . Apart from the Haryana agitators, Jat members from UP, Delhi and other states will participate in the demonstration at Parliament,” said AIJASS president Yashpal Malik.

Addressing a massive gathering on the occasion of ‘balidan divas’ organised at the ‘Jat Nyay dharna’ site in Jassia village of Rohtak district this afternoon, Malik maintained that February 26 would be observed as ‘black day’ in Haryana . He asked the community members, especially women, to stop supply of milk to Delhi.

The NH 71-A passing through Jassia village witnessed jams running into several kilometers due to the parking of vehicles of protesters. The Makdauli toll plaza authorities gave a free run-through to all vehicles in view of today’s event.

A large number of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in and around Rohtak though arrangements for the ‘balidan divas’ event at the dharna site in Jassia village were taken care of by the volunteers appointed by organisers.

The dharna site echoed with slogans like ‘Jat Ekta zindabad’ and ‘36 biradari bhaichara zindabad’.

Amidst a thunderous applause from the gathering, Malik asked the participants to stop paying their electricity bills as well as bank loan instalments from next month as part of a non-cooperation movement against the government. He said the community members would hand over a memorandum to the President in support of their demands.

Earlier, Malik and other office-bearers of the AIJASS paid homage to the persons killed during the earlier agitations for Jat reservation and demanded a thorough probe into their ‘murders’.

The speakers also reiterated their demand for the release of Jat youths arrested in connection with the February,2016, agitation and withdrawal of the cases registered against them. They pledged to intensify the agitation and continue it till their demands were met.

Malik rejected financial compensation announced by the state government for the persons injured during last year’s agitation and demanded that the amount of compensation for all categories be doubled.

The AIJASS leader also proposed several steps on social reforms, like reducing expenditure on marriages, banning the serving of liquor and DJs etc, doing away with ceremonies on the occasion of somebody’s demise etc.

The followers of controversial saint Rampal, who have extended their support to the Jats’ agitation, contributed Rs 11 lakh for the agitation today. Malik thanked them for the gesture and offered to get the differences between Rampal’s followers and Arya Samaj members resolved through talks.

The Jat samiti members also resolved to hold rallies for maintaining brotherhood and cordial relations with the members of the other communities once their immediate concerns were addressed.