With the Jat community leaders refusing to call off their agitation on quota issue, the Centre today said that its “patience is running out” as the stir has affected rail traffic and essential services in northern India, even as the Jat leaders threatened to block roads from Sunday.
The government was expecting the suspension of the agitation by the Jats, demanding reservation in Central Government jobs under OBC category, after their talks with the Union Home Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, and the Social Justice Minister, Mr Mukul Wasnik, yesterday.
“But the agitators declared that the stir will continue. We are running out of our patience. We wanted a peaceful resolution of the crisis. But how long can we tolerate disruption of rail traffic and other essential services?” a government official asked.
The government is unlikely to invite the agitating Jats for another round of discussion unless they call off the stir, officials said.
They said the Central government at this stage can do little to fulfil the demands of the Jats except forwarding them to the Backward Castes Commission for consideration.
“We are ready to forward the case to the Backward Castes Commission. But they have to call off the agitation and allow normal life in the stir affected areas,” the official said.
After the meeting with Mr Chidambaram and Mr Wasnik, a delegation of Jat leaders had said they would hold a meeting of their ‘core committee' where the request of the Central government to suspend the agitation would be discussed. But later in the evening, the agitators declared that they would continue the stir.
New threat
Jat leaders today threatened to block roads from Sunday if the government does not give in to their demand for inclusion in the 27 per cent OBC reservation regime.
The leaders also said the community will be forced to “seal” the borders of Delhi and deprive the capital of water, electricity and oil if their “just demands” were not met within the next three days.
“We are on a non-violent agitation now. It should not be seen as weakness. If need be, we can go the other way. If our agitation turns violent, the government will be responsible,” Col (Retd) O.P. Sindhu, National President of Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti, told reporters here.
He said the current rail blockade will continue though the government has asked for three days' time to find a solution to their demands.