: A graduate in economics, Sanjay Balhara’s 60 per cent score wasn’t enough to get him a job in his native Rohtak district. He now helps out his family, farming on their small parcel of land in Bahu Akbarpur village, about 10 km outside Rohtak city.
Twenty-six-year-old Yashvir Balhara holds a B.Tech degree, but has been unemployed since he graduated in 2012.
“Those with 40 per cent marks get jobs because of reservations, but us Jats don’t, despite having better scores. There are no opportunities for us,” said the Rohtak resident.
Ajay Duhan, a college student from Jassia village, where thousands of Jats gathered on Sunday to demand reservation, said the government did not appear to be serious about the issue. While the government agreed to give Jats reservation under the OBC quota after the stir in February, it has not been implemented as the High Court has stayed the matter. “We work harder than others to get good scores, but we don’t get government jobs,” said Mr. Duhan.
While elders of the community saw the reservation as a fight for their rights, the younger protesters saw it as a more practical demand. With land holdings getting smaller with each new generation, farming is no longer a viable livelihood for many.
Bikram, who declined from giving his last name, said that he was forced to take up a private job with a cellphone service provider to supplement his income from farming.
“We are trying to wake up the government. It isn’t about caste, but about our financial condition,” said the Rohtak resident.
Balvir Singh, a senior citizen and resident of Bahu Akbarpur village, said the youngsters in the community were suffering the most.
