Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has invited Jat leaders for talks in Delhi today, in a bid to end the community’s 50-day long quota stir.
The talks come ahead of the Jat community’s plans to gherao Parliament in support of their demands.
As a precautionary measure, Army has been called out.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC have been imposed and Internet services suspended in many ‘sensitive’ districts of Haryana including in Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonepat.
Speaking to reporters, the chief minister said, “We are committed to resolve the issue”.
Khattar along with Union Minister of State for Law and Justice P P Chaudhary and Union Minister Birender Singh would be holding the talks with Jat community leaders.
“Government is serious about resolving the issue. To maintain peace and brotherhood in the state is our first priority,” Khattar said.
The state’s DGP, K P Singh said that all highways and other roads passing through the State are open and all security measures have been taken, so that people, especially students who are appearing in the CBSE board examinations may travel through the state without any fear.
The All-India Jat Aarkashan Sangarsh Samiti, the body spearheading the ongoing quota stir which entered its 50th day today, has remained firm on its plans to lay siege to the national capital tomorrow.
AIJASS President Yashpal Malik had yesterday said that the Centre should intervene to resolve the issue.
Malik had claimed that the present State Government “looks confused and is not showing sincerity in resolving the issue”.
A Haryana ministerial panel led by senior Minister Ram Bilas Sharma had held talks with the Jats in Panipat on March 16, after which the Minister had said that an agreement had been reached with the Jat community and the deadlock could end soon.
Emerging out of the marathon talks held in Panipat, Malik had announced that they would be having a meeting with the Chief Minister in Delhi on March 17 but Khattar had later said that the Jat leader had made the announcement unilaterally.
Khattar today said, “Whatever confusion arose earlier, will be removed. Whatever has been decided at the March 16 meeting, we will look to move forward from there”.
Notably, after the meeting in Panipat on March 16, both Sharma and Malik had maintained that the talks were positive.
Malik had earlier insisted that for any talks to fructify, Khattar’s presence in the meeting was a must.