NEW DELHI: The BJP on Thursday slammed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding the inclusion of Jats and five other communities in the Centre's list of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
Kejriwal claimed his letter sought to ensure reservations for Jats and other communities already included in Delhi's OBC list in the Central government jobs and educational institutions.
"This will open doors for jobs and education opportunities for Jats in Delhi University colleges, Safdarjung-RML-AIIMS medical colleges, and employment in Delhi Police, NDMC, and DDA, " Kejriwal stated, promising to fight for the rights of Jats.
He accused Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of making four assurances to include Jats in the Central OBC list but failing to deliver. He also advocated for the inclusion of four other communities, along with Rawat, in the Central OBC list.
Reacting to Kejriwal's letter, BJP candidate from Bijwasan, Kailash Gahlot, told IANS, "I am happy to see the letter, but at least he remembered the Jats. In the last 10 years, he never raised this issue. Now, because there is an election, he needs the Jat votes; he is raising this for the vote bank. It's purely political."
Gahlot dismissed Kejriwal's intentions as opportunistic. "The public is not stupid. They are aware. BJP is going to form the government in Delhi, and this time, there will undoubtedly be a BJP Chief Minister, " he claimed.
Speaking to IANS, Arvinder Singh Lovely, BJP candidate from Gandhi Nagar Assembly, said, "These days, Kejriwal writes anything. Even if reporters go to him, he might announce subsidies for them by evening."
Echoing similar sentiments, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa told IANS, "Nothing will come of these letters. Political figures like him change their stances every day. People see through Arvind Kejriwal's tactics; he knows he's losing the elections and is trying to distract with new gimmicks."
Earlier, BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri accused Kejriwal of misleading Jats over reservations. "Jats are already in Delhi's OBC list. Kejriwal should tell us how many Jats he has given jobs to in the past decade, " Bidhuri told IANS.
The BJP dismissed Kejriwal's demand as election-oriented gimmickry, claiming it reflects his desperation to woo the significant Jat vote bank in Delhi amid fears of losing the upcoming Assembly elections.