BJP slams Kejriwal for demanding Jat reservation, says "AAP hasn't done anything for them"

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday hit out at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal over his demand to include the Jaat community in the central OBC list, calling this an attempt to divert attention from real issues ahead of Delhi assembly polls.
Addressing a press conference, BJP Lok Sabha MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat alleged that the AAP government for the last 10 years did not raise the issue in the state assembly or any public platform, stating that the reservation is a subject of the state government.
"For the last 10 years, the government that was in power in Delhi with a complete majority did not raise this issue in the Vidhan Sabha or any public platform...Granting reservations is a subject of the state government...Kailash Gahlot, who has left the party, has confirmed that he had told the former Delhi CM 2-3 times about the inclusion of Delhi's Jaat community in central reservations...One of the main reasons for Delhi's Jaat community not being included in central reservations is former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's government," Sehrawat said.
New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) Chairman Kuljeet Singh Chahal said that Arvind Kejriwal is raising the Jaat reservation issue as the AAP government has done nothing for the community in Delhi in the last ten years.
"Jaat reservation is Arvind Kejriwal's election slogan. Today, when Delhi's AAP government is on a ventilator, when they (leaders) are out on bail, then he is giving the election slogan of Jaat reservation. In the last 10 years they have not done a single thing for the Jat community. If he has done something for the Jaat community in the last 10 years, then let us know. We are ready for an open debate," Chahal said.
He further asserted that Jats in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have supported BJP and the community firmly stands with PM Modi".
"Whenever Arvind Kejriwal gets involved in any issue, then he starts giving such election slogans to divert the debate," the NDMC chairman added.
This comes after former Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to include Delhi's Jat community in the OBC list of the Centre. He accused the BJP-led central government of "cheating" the community in the name of OBC reservation for the last 10 years.
"The Delhi government OBC list consists of the Jat community, but the OBC list of the centre does not consist of the Jat community of Delhi. The Jat community students of Delhi do not get reservations when they apply for the Delhi University admission," Kejriwal said in a press conference on Thursday.
"Central government institutions do not offer reservations to the Jat community of Delhi... This is injustice for the Jat community living in Delhi," he added.
Kejriwal said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised the Jat community in Delhi that they would be included in the OBC list of the Centre.
"In 2015, you (PM Modi) called the leaders of the Jat community to your home and promised that the Jat community of Delhi will be included in the OBC list of the Centre," Kejriwal said.
He added that Union Home Minister Amit Shah made similar promises to the community. "If the students of the Jat community of Rajasthan are to get a reservation in DU, then why don't the Jats of Delhi get it?" he asked.
The AAP chief said that thousands of children from Delhi's Jat community do not get admission to DU due to not being on the OBC list of the Centre. "Despite being in the OBC list in Delhi, the Modi government is not allowing Jats to get benefits in the institutions of the Central Government," Kejriwal alleged.
The Delhi assembly polls will be held in a single phase on February 5 and the counting of votes will take place on February 8.
The last date for filing nominations is January 17. The date for scrutiny of nominations is January 18. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is January 20.
A three way contest is on the cards in Delhi between the ruling AAP, BJP and Congress.
Congress, which was in power for 15 consecutive years in Delhi, has suffered setbacks in the last two assembly elections and has failed to win any seat. AAP dominated the 2020 assembly elections by winning 62 out of 70 seats while the BJP got eight seats.