”Taking the line of least resistance, we lump the most different people together under the same heading. Taking the line of least resistance, we ascribe to them collective crimes, collective acts, and opinions. “The Serbs have massacred…”, “The English have devastated…”, “The Jews have confiscated…”, “The Blacks have torched”, “The Arabs refuse…”. We blithely express sweeping judgments on whole peoples, calling them “hardworking” and “ingenious”, or “lazy”, “touchy”, “sly”, “proud”, or “obstinate”. And sometimes this ends in bloodshed.” These are the words of literary giant Amin Malouf and there’s a ring to it if one starts thinking about the Jats in Haryana who are demanding for the reservation.
It’s been 47 days and Jats have been doing the agitation peacefully at a number of places in Haryana. Yashpal Malik, president of All India Jat Reservation Agitation Committee said today in his press conference which was held around 4:40 pm that “Government conspired against us, Jat agitation to continue as planned”. It made people chuckle and has raised quite a few eyebrows because Haryana’s Education minister Ram Bilas Sharma had one press conference around 2 pm today in which he stated that all the demands have been agreed upon and Jats will end all their dharnas tomorrow. The government’s move to disrupt the dharnas has severely backfired and it seems that Jat protestors will be going near the Parliament on 20th March with their bags packed till their demands are met.
Coming back to the quote, people have been arguing over the fact that whether the Haryanvi Jats deserve the reservation despite coming from a very rich background and having their fair share of jobs and politics. The Jat community traditionally depends on the farming sector and climate change is breaking the backs of farmers. Haryana is on the verge of becoming next Vidarbha and it has been argued that it’s time for the 2nd green revolution in India. Suicides of farmers are going unreported because the government has failed in giving the proper compensation. Generalizations and fake notions have always survived in societies and the major one here is that every Haryanvi Jat is rich. The analogy behind this assumption is illogical and there can be poor people in any community.
Manohar Lal Khattar’s stint as being chief minister of Haryana has been an incompetent one and the flaws which make up in his incompetency aren’t excusable at all. He has failed to deliver the promises of Jat community and they have been in anguish and disarray since 23 Jats have shot dead last year around in the agitation’s ruckus. If there’s been a time for him to stand tall and save his grace, this is the time which has the brink of delicacy dwelling upon it. If he doesn’t try to have a successful dialogue with the Jat leaders in a day or two and solve the whole thing, more than 20 lac Jats will be peacefully marching towards the Parliament in Delhi on Monday.
