Jassia dharna turns into a big Bang,Full kithchen is Operating in parallel

Rohtak, February 10

The pro-reservation Jat dharna in Jassia has turned into one big party — raginis to entertain the protesters, a round-the-clock fully functional community kitchen, a daily dose of politicians dropping by to pledge support and earn brownie points as also animated discussions on their next move and the government’s response. Attracting people of all ages and walks of life from surrounding villages of this Jat-dominated district by the droves, women, for a change, are occupying the centre stage and are equal partners in this “fight for justice” as the shrill gets louder and more emphatic. Returning from the venue to her village Jindram after hearing a charged speech by Jat leader Yashpal Malik, Babli, driving a tractor with three trolleys full of veiled women, says, “This is about our fight for our rights.

 The government will have to listen and we are here to make ourselves counted and heard.” Fellow village women nod in agreement. Ask them about what rights they talk of and pat comes the reply from Satwanti and Batheri, “We know our rights. We want reservation. To be able to get seats in educational institutions and to get government jobs. Every child that comes to this venue knows the rights we are fighting for. We want cases against our brethren dropped because the Haryana Government promised to do so.” The protesters are of the firm view that talks will yield nothing for the community. “The government is not so straight that it will give us our rights without these kinds of protests. We are here to lend strength and numbers to this fight. Every morning, we rush through our chores and reach Jassia. We will not tire and this will not stop till we have had our way,” maintains Satbir Singh, a regular at the dharna.

While singers churn out ‘raginis’ on the reservation theme and the unity of the community at the venue, cooks engaged to prepare food for the protesters are at work nearly throughout the day. The supplies come by way of donations from the community. “We are farmers. There can be no dearth of food. Ever since we began this kitchen in Jassia, people come loaded with vegetables or flour and leave it here,” explains Ashok Balhara, Haryana in-charge of All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti. He says that all arrangements are in place to ensure the protesters are put to no inconvenience. Having ‘puri-aloo, halwa’ for lunch, another protester Ram Singh says he comes from Rohtak to participate in the dharna. 

“Every day, a new politician comes and lends support. The numbers have also grown since the dharna began on January 29,” he maintains, pointing to a large number of tractor-trolleys, cars and autos lined up along the road. Though slow to pick up in the morning with only a handful protesters camping at the spot through the night, by noon the numbers swell enough to fill the entire ground surrounded by policemen and paramillitary personnel keeping a close watch. Not willing to take “no” from the government and unwilling to give up their fight, the Jats, day after day, carry on with their protests, accepting any and every promise or assurance that comes their way even as UP Jat leader Yashpal Malik plans a new strategy for every new day. The people at the venue are his trump card.

Source:Tribune

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