Election Rhetoric: Kejriwal Against BJP Over Jat Reservation

As elections near in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal accuses the BJP government of failing to fulfill a promise to include Delhi's Jat community in the Central OBC list. This has led to a political showdown with BJP's Parvesh Verma, who criticizes Kejriwal for dividing the city along caste lines.

With the Delhi assembly elections approaching, Arvind Kejriwal, AAP convenor, has accused the BJP-led Central government of breaking its promise to grant reservation status to the Jat community in the capital. Speaking at a press conference, Kejriwal, contesting from the New Delhi seat, revealed that he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the inclusion of Delhi's Jats in the Central OBC list.

BJP's New Delhi candidate, Parvesh Verma, countered by accusing Kejriwal of polarizing the city along caste lines. Kejriwal alleged that the Centre had misled the Jat community for a decade without delivering on its promises. He cited instances from 2015 and 2019 when assurances were made by senior BJP leaders to the Jat leaders but remained unfulfilled.

Kejriwal highlighted the disparity faced by Jat students from Delhi, who are denied OBC reservation benefits at Delhi University, unlike their counterparts from Rajasthan. He called it a betrayal, urging the government to act, as including Jats would open opportunities in government jobs and education. Verma responded by accusing Kejriwal of using the Jat issue for political gain as the elections draw near.

(With inputs from agencies.)