My heart goes to victims of Haryana reservations latest stir. Finding it hard to express my sadness through words for loss of lives and property and strongly believe that culprits will be brought to justice soon.
The Jats are one of the proudest and resilient people of the country. They have had as their home the most fertile land in the world spreading across the Gangetic Plains in India. The community also played a vital role in the freedom struggle and its leaders later had a central political role in the development of the country. In early 17th century, Jat king Maharaja Surajmal ruled hindi heartland by involving all the communities under his umbrella. Raja Nahar Singh’s whole hearted support to the revolt of 1857 shook the Empire to its core. He was later brutally and publicly hanged by the British. Instances of such courage and sacrifice are many throughout Jat history.
The people of the community are also considered as one of the fiercest soldiers and it is considered a matter of pride when a Jat youth takes up the duty of protecting India’s borders. The great Maharaja Surajmal of the Jat community is referred to by historians as the ‘India’s Plato’ for his political vision and intellect.
Ironically enough, Jats have always been epic center of Mandal commission from it’s birth. Then Prime Minister Morarji Desai established Mandal commission in 1979 to curb Ch. Charan Singh influence on masses and was implemented by Prime Minister V.P. Singh in 1989 to divert country’s attention from very successful historical Ch. Devi Lal rally. Being in such a powerful situation for centuries if this community is looking for reservation then India as nation need to re-think not only about Jats but all Marshall and Agrarian communities future in changing dynamics of social and economic structure of India.
One of the most respected Jat leaders was Chaudhary Charan Singh. He was Prime Minister of the country for a regrettably short time; however, his most lasting legacy to India came in the form of revolutionary land reform laws in the 1950’s. The Jats have a very close connection to their land and are fiercely protective of it. Chaudhary Charan Singh had the conviction to speak out against his own party leader Jawahar Lal Nehru for pursuing socialist land policies. He had foresight to recognize the scourge of caste segregation in Hinduism and believed that rewarding Inter-caste marriage might be a way to overcome this.
How is it that a community with the proud history of the Jats is being forced to ask for handouts in the form of reservation?
I believe there are many factors to this transformation including the seedy underbelly of caste politics being followed in India. They are still vastly under-represented in most states, including those where they form the majority of the electorate.
The community is struggling under the weight of poor implementation of land reform, incomplete infrastructure projects and rampant caste politics.
As a proud member of the community which has been responsible for feeding the country through its efforts since historical times, it saddens me that the noble profession of farming is being sidelined in the naked pursuit of greed and profits.
Most of the industrialization is being carried out on the Jat community’s lands forcing them to go through a social upheaval.
Who is to blame for this mess?
I have no hesitation in saying that the Congress party has to shoulder the blame completely.
Their party is singularly responsible for making hurried claims about reservation which have been quashed by the Supreme Court. Had they done their due diligence and followed established protocols, this situation would never have arrived.
The Congress party is built on the principles of dynasty politics, something that I am dead against. I will once again give the example of Chaudhary Charan Singh who opposed such policies and did not do his son any favors or open any doors in politics. Ajit Singh only entered politics once his father started to suffer from ill health and was in the twilight of his career.
I am a proud Jat and one that firmly believe in meritocracy rather than reservation. I am not in favor of Jat reservation but instead; believe that given the right opportunities and support by our political leaders, the community will once again rise to tremendous heights.
Reservations should only be handed out to people on the basis of their economic status and I personally feel that this reservation should extend only to one or two generations. It should not be an advantage that extends perpetually.
We want to set up policies and foundations in place that will help remove social and economic inequality rather than perpetuate it. The poorest among us are the most prone to unrest and change. Every member of society deserves dignity and respect irrespective of whether they may be born a Brahmin or a Dalit. Caste hierarchy serves as the main push for people to abandon their faith and move further away from mainstream society.
I am confident that this political unrest that the current government has inherited will be handled deftly and efficiently by Shree Narendra Modiji and his government. Modiji, has in fact, shown great restraint and understanding while dealing with multiple communities tackling complex issues. His courage and conviction in the face of manufactured crisis will show us the way.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he has the foresight and vision to find an acceptable solution going forward.
Copyright © 2016 by Aditya Tawatia, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means.
