Haryana assembly unanimously passes Jat quota bill; Congress keeps away

CHANDIGARH : The Haryana assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill to provide reservation to Jat and other communities. The opposition Congress legislators kept away from the session when the bill was passed.There was immediate opposition to the bill from leaders of other communities and even some Jat leaders as well as a BJP parliamentarian.The Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation in Services and Admission in Educational Institutions) Bill, 2016, was passed by voice vote in the ongoing assembly session within 15 minutes of being introduced. It was moved by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. No debate took place on the bill. While the ruling BJP and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) legislators were present inside the assembly when the bill was passed, the Congress legislators were not present. The Congress lawmakers, according to party sources, kept away from the session on Tuesday to protest the six months’ suspension handed down to three Congress legislators by the speaker on March 15. The legislators were suspended for tearing copies of the Governor’s address. The Congress has 14 legislators in the 90-member house.The state cabinet on Monday cleared the bill that proposed to provide reservation to the politically-dominant Jat community and four other communities — Jat Sikhs, Tyagis, Bishnois and Rors.Khattar, who claimed that the bill passage was a “historic day” for Haryana, said his government fulfilled the promise made to Jat and other communities for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.