Jaipur: A Jat reservation Hunkar Rally held in Bharatpur Monday witnessed high political drama when Nadbai BJP MLA Jagat Singh walked off the stage after Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal continued to criticise Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma during his address. The rally, organised by the Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti at Bharatpur’s Numaish Maidan, drew thousands of members of the Jat community from Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. The gathering was held to press for the inclusion of Jats from Bharatpur, Dholpur and Deeg districts in the Central Other Backward Classes reservation list.Tension flared during Beniwal’s speech when he launched an attack on the state govt and the CM. According to witnesses, Singh stood up and attempted to stop the Nagaur MP with folded hands, even shaking hands with him in an apparent effort to calm the situation. However, when Beniwal continued with his remarks, the BJP MLA stepped down from the dais and left the venue.Addressing the gathering, Beniwal asserted that the rally would have far-reaching political implications. “After today’s rally, it is certain that a big change will take place in Rajasthan,” he said.The Rashtriya Loktantrik Party chief accused authorities of misleading the youth of Bharatpur and Dholpur on the reservation issue. Bharatpur MP Sanjna Jatav also addressed the rallyEarlier in the day, reports of confrontations emerged from Deeg district, where some people heading for the rally alleged that police were forcibly preventing them from proceeding to Bharatpur. In the Kumher area, an argument broke out between police personnel and rally participants. Officials, however, maintained that the dispute arose after people refused to switch off DJs mounted on vehicles heading towards the rally.Samiti convener Nem Singh Faujdar alleged that vehicles carrying participants were being stopped and that 15-20 vehicles were seized. He urged the administration to allow people to attend the rally peacefully and not obstruct the movement of youth and vehicles.
