The Haryana Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed the Bill approving Jat reservation. The Haryana Backward Classes Bill 2016 proposes to include Jats and five other castes under the backward classes category by bifurcation. On Monday, the Haryana Cabinet approved a Bill providing reservation in government jobs and educational institutions to Jats and four other castes. The move came a day after protesters threatened to resume their agitation if their demands were not met by March 31, the last day of the Vidhan Sabha’s Budget Session.
Haryana saw violent Jat protests last month that killed 30 people. The agitation paralysed the state and parts of North India for many days. The protests had cost states around Rs 34,000 crore in losses. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had earlier maintained that the new reservation would not disturb the existing 27% reservation in the state for Other Backward Classes.
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