Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb, who like many of his colleagues in the Bharatiya Janata Party, has a penchant of embarrassing his national leadership, recently goofed up once again by making disparaging remarks against the Jat community. According to a video which was posted online, Deb has reportedly stated that the Jats lacked the brains and were no match for Bengalis who were known for their superior intelligence. The uncalled gaffe must have shocked the entire Sangh Parivar, at a time, when the Central government through West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar, who belongs to the Jat community, is trying to assert its writ in a state administered by Mamta Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress. His views imply that Dhankar’s community is known for its brawn rather than wisdom, and therefore can be easily outwitted by intellectually evolved Bengalis (Mamta and her party).
The ignorant Chief Minister should be told that the Jats have always been high achievers. Their sacrifices in the battlefield have been exemplary and they have made this country proud with their deeds of valour and bravery. By attempting to put them down with harsh words was grossly unfair, given their contribution to the society. In the field of education, the Jats have also made their mark. Prof Hardwari Lal, former Vice Chancellor of Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Prof Sarup Singh, former Delhi University Vice-Chancellor and Prof Ved Prakash, erstwhile Chairman of the University Grants Commission were leaders in the academics sphere. In fact, they led from the front and illuminated the lives of so many deprived and underprivileged students belonging not only to their own community but to various castes.
During the freedom struggle, the Jats were in the forefront in the fight against British imperialism. Chaudhury Matu Ram, grandfather of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, resisted the foreign rulers in vast areas where he wielded influence in undivided Punjab. He along with Ajit Singh, uncle of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, were a constant threat to the alien regime, which wanted them to be sent to Kala Pani, the extreme form of punishment for freedom fighters who were shipped to Port Blair in the Andaman Nicobar Islands. Chaudhury Charan Singh, the iconic leader of the community, rose to become the Prime Minister of India. Chaudhury Devi Lal, Chaudhury Ranbir Singh and Chaudhury Nathu Ram Mirdha were well liked and respected leaders of the community who were revered by one and all.
In Punjab following its reorganisation in 1966, virtually every Chief Minister, barring perhaps Giani Zail Singh, has been from the Jat community. The current Punjab CM is a military historian and regarded as an authority on warfare. Across the border, the Jats have held key posts in the government and public life. In the sphere of sports, the Jats have excelled, performing exceptionally well in the Olympics. Therefore, Biplab Deb should in future think twice before shooting his mouth. His comments must have caused embarrassment to even the culturally conscious Bengalis.