BJP attacks Kejriwal over inclusion of Delhi Jat community in Central OBC list

New Delhi: As assembly elections draw closer in Delhi, AAP convenor and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday accused the BJP-led Central government of reneging on its promise to provide reservation to the Jat community in the national capital.

Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal, who is contesting from New Delhi seat, said he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding the inclusion of Delhi's Jat community in the Central OBC list.

BJP candidate from New Delhi and former MP Parvesh Verma alleged that Kejriwal has started dividing Delhi on caste lines.

At the presser, the AAP chief also accused the Centre of misleading the community for the past decade, and failing to deliver on its promises.

"In 2015, the BJP invited Jat leaders to the prime minister's residence and assured them that Delhi's Jat community would be included in the Central OBC list. Union Home Minister Amit Shah promised the same in 2019. However, nothing has been done to fulfil these promises," Kejriwal said.

Drawing comparisons, he questioned why Jat students from Rajasthan benefit from reservations in Delhi University (DU), while Jat students from Delhi are denied the same.

"Thousands of children from the Jat community in Delhi are unable to secure admission in DU because they are not part of the Central OBC list," he said.

Kejriwal also alleged that despite Delhi's Jats being recognised under the OBC category in the national capital, the Central government has refused to extend the benefits to them.

"This is nothing but betrayal. The Centre must include Delhi's Jat community in the OBC list to ensure they receive reservations in Central government institutions, including for jobs and college admissions," the AAP supremo said.

Central agencies like the MCD, DDA, and CPWD operate extensively in Delhi, and including Jats in the OBC list would open up significant opportunities for them, Kejriwal said, as he vowed to continue the fight until the community's demands are met.

Reacting to the allegations, BJP leader Verma claimed that as Kejriwal's political ground is slipping, the AAP leader has started dividing Delhi on caste lines.

Kejriwal never remembered the Jat community in the past 11 years, he said.

"Arvind Kejriwal, who once spoke of secularism, is now dividing Delhi on caste lines. If anyone has given constitutional recognition to the National OBC Commission, it is PM Modi. For Jats or any caste to be included in the OBC list, the state government must first approve the proposal and send it to the OBC Commission.

"Kejriwal's government held special sessions but used them only to criticise the Centre and the LG, never passing the OBC inclusion for Jats," he stated.

Verma criticised Kejriwal for not convening a session despite two letters from Kailash Gahlot regarding OBC status for Jats.

He credited BJP-led governments in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and at the Centre with securing Jat reservations in the past.

"Rural Delhi lacks new colleges, schools, hospitals, flyovers, and roads, but with elections here, Kejriwal remembers the Jats. It pains me that he accuses me of anti-nationalism for helping women through the 'Ladli' scheme," Verma added.

The 70-member Delhi Assembly will go to polls on February 5. The results will be out on February 8.