Kejriwal Plays Caste Politics Ahead Of Delhi Election, Questions When Jats Will Be Included In Centre's OBC List

On Monday (13 January), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal reiterated his demand for the Jat community of Delhi to be included in the Central Government's Other Backward Classes (OBC) list.

Kejriwal hosted a meeting with a group of Jat leaders at his home. The Jat community, which has a substantial voting power in several of Delhi's 70 assembly constituencies, particularly in the outskirts, was represented.

This is a shift from Kejriwal's politics as he earlier did not use to talk about castes. Political observers believe that fearing a tough challenge, Kejriwal has changed his strategy and is focusing on caste consolidation.

"The Jats here are included in Delhi's OBC list but not in the Centre's list. Jats from Rajasthan can get admissions in the Delhi University and its colleges, jobs in the AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital and all the central government organisations but not the Jats of Delhi," Kejriwal said.

“The top two leaders of the country -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah -- had promised the Jat community of Delhi that they will be given OBC reservation at the central level but the promise remains unfulfilled,” he added.

"I want to ask Modi, Shah and other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, when will they include Delhi's Jats in the Centre's OBC list?" the former Delhi Chief Minister questioned at a press conference.

In an X post, Kejriwal said, "They (Jats) expressed their anger over being cheated by the BJP on the issue of reservation for the last 10 years, injustice is being done to the Jat community of Delhi. Aam Aadmi Party is with this legitimate demand of the Jat community."

Kejriwal announced last week that he penned a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, advocating for the addition of Delhi's Jats and five other OBC castes in Delhi to the Central OBC list.

“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,” BJP's Lok Sabha MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat said.

Sehrawat, who belongs to the Jat community alleged that one of the main reasons for Delhi's Jaat community not being included in central reservations is former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's government.

“Kailash Gahlot, who has left the party, has confirmed that he had told the former Delhi CM two to three times about the inclusion of Delhi's Jaat community in central reservations," he said.

“Jat reservation is just a political stunt because the AAP is on a ventilator, and that's why they are resorting to such tactics. I am proud to be a Jat, and I was made the NDMC vice-chairman by the BJP,” BJP leader and NDMC vice chairperson Kuljeet Singh Chahal said.