Jats in Rajasthan shocked by SC judgement

Jaipur, March 17 (IANS) Jat leaders in Rajasthan expressed shock on Tuesday after the Supreme Court quashed the extension of OBC reservation to the community.

Jats account for 14-15 percent of the state's population.

"We are shocked. Though I have not gone through the judgement, Jats are synonymous with farmers and I feel farmers are backward and deserve to get reservation," prominent Jat leader Gyanparakash Pilania said.

"I think the case most probably has not been put forward in the proper way before the Supreme Court," added Pilania, a former director general of the Rajasthan Police.

"It is the duty of the central government to file a review petition," he said.

Jats are classified as Other Backward Class (OBC) in Rajasthan.

Congress leader Rameshwar Dudi, leader of the opposition in the assembly, insisted that Jats were "really backward" in Rajasthan.

"They deserve to get reservation. I am strongly of the opinion that the central government should file a review petition at the earliest," he said.

Echoing similar views, Rajaram Meel, another Jat leader, said: "It is a bad phase for the community...

"The governments both at the centre and the state are with us, and we hope the community will soon get the OBC status it deserves," he said.