New Delhi: Ahead of the first round of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday met Jat leaders in the national capital.
Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan, BJP MPs Satyapal Singh and Parvesh Verma attended the meeting. BJP’s Mohit Beniwal and Captain Abhimanyu of Western Uttar Pradesh were also present during the meeting.
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About 200 Jat leaders participated in this meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah.
,We have demanded Bharat Ratna for (former PM) Chaudhary Charan Singh, reservation for Jats and proportional representation in Central and UP government. HM has given a positive response,” an attendee told ANI.
BJP MP from Baghpat Satyapal Singh said that no Jat leader or member of Jat community is angry with the party.
On SP-RLD alliance BJP MP Parvesh Verma said, “On (RLD chief) Jayant Chaudhary, he (HM Amit Shah) said there are many possibilities after the elections. For now, he has chosen a party. People from the Jat community will talk to Jayant. BJP’s doors are always open for him.”
On (RLD chief) Jayant Chaudhary, he (HM Amit Shah) said that there are many possibilities after the elections. For now, he has chosen a party. People of Jat community will talk to Jayant. BJP’s doors are always open for them: BJP MP Parvesh Verma after meeting with Jat leaders pic.twitter.com/G1sTDunFyV
— ANI (@ANI) 26 January 2022
Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan, considered one of the most powerful leaders of the Jat community in western Uttar Pradesh, said that today’s meeting is on the election agenda. He informed that the meeting was to be held earlier but was unable to do so due to the COVID scenario.
BJP’s reach to Jat leaders
BJP has so far declared the names of 204 candidates for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Of these, there are more than 80 OBC leaders and more than half a dozen Jat candidates. Similarly, RLD has fielded more than ten Jat leaders out of its 33 candidates.
Today’s gathering is particularly significant, as the Jat population in western Uttar Pradesh is perceived to be dissatisfied with the current BJP administration, after a 13-month-long peasant revolt.
The meeting can be interpreted as an attempt to quell the Jat community’s hostility towards the BJP. However, BJP leaders categorically deny that Jat leaders are angry with the party.
Today’s meeting between Shah and Jat leaders is considered important ahead of the first phase of elections to be held in Uttar Pradesh on February 10.
The struggle in western Uttar Pradesh has become extremely difficult for the BJP, especially since the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) have forged an alliance.
Several Jat leaders from different parts of western Uttar Pradesh participated in today’s conference.
(with ANI inputs)
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