New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah’s mega motorcycle rally in Haryana's Jind district on Thursday will not be banned by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) court.
The NGT bench had asked for a status of the case but was informed by the state council that as the rally had already begun, any pleas against it do not stand ground. Earlier, the Manohar Lal Khattar-led state government had a tough time convincing Jat agitation leaders to withdraw their protest against the rally.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had said that it will keep a close watch on the Yuva Hunkar rally, as one lakh motorcycles will hit the roads of Jind district.
While hearing a petition that sought more environment-friendly modes of transport to be used in the rally, the BJP government in Haryana assured the NGT that only motorcycles with valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates will be allowed in the rally.
Meanwhile, the Akhil Bhartiya Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (ABJASS) has decided to call off its proposed blockade of the bike rally. The Samiti’s leadership met Manoharlal Khattar and senior BJP Jat leader, Chaudhary Birender Singh, on Monday.
The truce, however, is an uneasy one. Jat activists claim they will launch a fresh agitation ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls if the state government decided to renege on its promises.
Speaking to News18 after the meeting, ABJASS president Yashpal Malik said, “We had a three-point demand from the state government. The first one was that the state government withdraw all cases of rioting and arson in which Jat youths have been falsely implicated. After we announced the protest against Amit Shah’s rally, the state government hurriedly withdrew 70 cases against Jat youths. However, there are more than 300 cases that still stand. These must all be taken back.”
Malik further added, “The second demand, is something we’ve long been asking for – reservations for Jats in central government jobs. Our protest for this demand has been going on for the last two years. Third, family members of all Jat youths, who were shot and killed by Haryana Police during the protests, should be given compensation and a government job. In return, the state government asked us for only one thing – that we withdraw our protest against the Amit Shah rally on Thursday.”
According to Malik, the state government hasn’t been specific about an exact timeline within which all their demands will be met and only said they will be fulfilled “very soon”. Malik said, “They haven’t given us an exact timeline but we expect all these demands to be met within a month or so. If this does not happen, we will resume the movement. The BJP should not forget that the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are fast approaching. If they do not keep their promise, we will make sure that not even Narendra Modi himself can hold a rally in Haryana.”
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