Published Paper Details:

Jats demand for Reservation is a highly controversial topic. Jats have been raising the demand for Reservation, at different forums, for nearly the past two decades. The movement for Jat-reservation has been going on for more than a decade in different states of north India. The agitation by Pro-Reservation Jat organizations has been there in Haryana since 2004. The protests have turned violent many times but the Jat agitation in February 2016 has been the most violent. Violent protests, disruption of train and road traffic and the destruction of public property are allegedly encouraged by the delayed and unresponsive approach of the government. The government both at the Central and the State levels, sleeps over the legitimate demands of the people, till they find an expression in such violence. Reservation as an affirmative action is enshrined in our Constitution to ensure proper representation of economically and socially backward classes who are not well represented in government jobs. The demand for reservation will wither away only when our economy generates sufficient jobs for all aspiring for them. This has not happened despite the sustained high growth in recent years. After so many years of its implementation, the reservation policy has reached a stage where both its supporters and critics are unhappy about it. There are endless debates going on at various platforms and levels. Some vehemently oppose it, some die hardly support and some stay neutral. The present paper attempts to look into the issue of Jat Reservation and Jats agitation for reservation in Haryana in February 2016 in detail and analyse the cause and impact of this agitation.