Kejriwal accuses PM Modi of ‘betraying’ Jats
In a bid to gather Jat votes ahead of the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of breaking promises made to the Jat community regarding their inclusion in the Central Other Backward Classes (OBC) list.
AAP fields 8 Jat candidates
In a letter to the Prime Minister, he claimed the community had been awaiting inclusion in the Central OBC list since 2015
Kejriwal highlighted two meetings where assurances were made—one in 2017 at the residence of former MP Birender Singh before UP polls, and another at MP Parvesh Verma’s residence
The AAP chief demanded similar OBC status for other communities in Delhi, including Rawat, Rauniyar, Raya-Tanwar, Charan, and Od castes
Jats hold significant influence in South, North West, and West Delhi; AAP has fielded eight Jat candidates for the upcoming Assembly poll
Jats were included in Delhi’s State OBC list in 2000 and constitute about five pc of the capital’s population
Kejriwal termed the lack of progress on this issue a “betrayal” of the Jat community, which he claimed has been awaiting inclusion in the Central OBC list since 2015. The letter refers to a 2015 meeting where PM Modi allegedly assured Jat representatives of reservation benefits in Central Government colleges and jobs.
“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.
Kejriwal further highlighted two other meetings where similar assurances were made—one in 2017 at the residence of former MP Birender Singh before the Uttar Pradesh elections, and another involving Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the residence of then West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma.
“No work has been done on this,” Kejriwal wrote, accusing the BJP government of reneging on its promises.
He criticised the BJP for failing to extend reservation benefits to Delhi’s Jats, unlike their counterparts in Rajasthan. “In universities under the Delhi government, the Jat community gets reservations, but when they apply for jobs in central government institutions like Delhi Police, DDA, or any other central organisation, they do not get reservation benefits,” he said.
The AAP chief also demanded similar OBC status for other communities in Delhi, including Rawat, Rauniyar, Raya-Tanwar, Charan, and Od castes.
Jats were included in Delhi’s State OBC list in 2000 and constitute about five per cent of the capital’s population. Jats hold significant influence in South, North West, and West Delhi. To address these concerns, AAP has fielded eight Jat candidates for the 2025 assembly elections. However, the party faced a setback when Jat leader and Cabinet Minister Kailash Gahlot defected to the BJP. In response, AAP inducted two Cabinet Ministers, Raghuvinder Shokeen and Mukesh Kumar Ahlawat, to manage the fallout.
