The BJP on Saturday said it will issue a show-cause notice to its Kurukshetra Lok Sabha member Raj Kumar Saini for speaking against reservation for the Jat community, defying the diktat of the party's central leadership.
"The party has taken cognizance of remarks made by Saini and decided to issue him a show-cause notice," BJP general secretary Anil Jain, who is in charge of Haryana, said at a press conference.
"Saini was asked to refrain from making such statements but he defied the central leadership's diktat," Jain said at the press meet jointly addressed by union Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh, union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Sanjeev Balyan and Haryana minister O.P. Dhankar.
Saini had earlier opposed reservation for Jats, saying Jat leaders in the BJP were creating pressure on the chief minister over the quota issue.
He also said Jats had "grabbed" more than 50 percent of posts in the general category, and now they wanted a share in the rights of backward classes.
Birender Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha member from Haryana, made it clear that the party supports reservation for the Jat community and accused the Congress for the present agitation.
"There should be reservation for Jats. We have been assured by our central leadership. They are also in favour of reservation," he said.
Jain added: "We are in support of Jat reservation and it should be given within the the provisions of the Constitution. This was the reason the party filed a review petition after the Supreme Court denied reservation to the Jat community."
Accusing the Congress, Jain said: "The Congress gave reservation to the Jat community keeping in mind the political scenario in the state and now we are facing the heat of their deeds."
The BJP leader also said there were some political parties behind the Jat community's agitation. "Very soon, it will be clear who are behind it," Jain said.
Balyan said the process of talks with Jat leaders has begun.
"Jat leaders from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi will be meeting Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday night," he said.
