How major castes ‘stooped’ to demand quota in Haryana

* Jats share hookah-paani with people belonging to lower castes and 80 per cent of Jats are languishing in jails

* Goswamis are reduced to begging

* Bishnois are not getting into IAS/IPS

* Gyanas are living on doles (daans) given by Bishnois

These are some of the reasons cited by the members of various castes to justify their demand for reservation before the Haryana's Backward Classes Commission (HBCC), which was carrying out a survey for their inclusion in the list of Backward Classes.

The HBCC, headed by Justice (retd) K C Gupta had on Wednesday submitted its report to the state government, recommending Special Backward Classes status and reservation of 10 per cent in government jobs and educational institutions for five castes — out of the 16 it had examined. These are Jats, Jat Sikhs, Rors, Bishnois and Tyagis.

The report (a copy of which is with The Indian Express) reveals some of the reasons cited by various caste members while trying to justify their case before the Commission.

While demanding reservation, All India Jat Mahasabha president Om Prakash Mann and All India Jat Aarakshan president Samiti Hawa Singh Sangwan had claimed that "Jats share hookah-paani with communities like Sainis, Ahir, Gujjar, Khati, Kumhar, which have already been declared as backward classes".

Another Jat leader, Dr Om Prakash Dhankar, said: "Eighty per cent people of our community are languishing in jails, as they could not get proper education due to lack of funds. People from communities like Brahmins, Aggarwal, Rajput, Kayastha used to look upon our children with inferiority complex.

For Goswami community, a retired professor from Hisar, Ram Parsad Goswami, told the Commission: "Earlier, people of the Goswami community used to beg but afterwards, they started working as agriculture labourers. But some still beg."

... contd.

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