The Jat community is protesting against the removal of the word “Jat” from the base wall of the Maharaja Surajmal statue in Meerut. File | Photo credit: PTI
With the Assembly elections less than a year away, statues of historical figures have once again become catalysts for political mobilization among caste groups in western Uttar Pradesh.
Tension erupted in Sikauti, a small village in Sardhana Assembly constituency in Meerut district, on Sunday when the local administration removed the ‘Jat’ tag from the statue of Maharaja Suraj Mal, which was to be inaugurated at an event organized by the International Jat Sansad.
Seen as a symbol of Jat resistance against the Mughals in the 18th century, the ruler of Bharatpur is presented as a Hindu king during the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule. In June 2025, the UP government approved the celebration of “Agra Vijay Diwas” at Agra Fort, commemorating the capture of the fort by Suraj Male on 12 June 1761.
In September 2025, following a Supreme Court directive, the UP government banned caste assemblies and public castes to curb token politics. Opposition parties noted that the orders do not directly address religious or Hindu symbols.
The self-proclaimed group, which brought together Jat heavyweights from various parties on one stage, was led by former Union minister Sanjeev Balyan, who has been on warm terms with the Yogi Adityanath-led administration since his defeat in Muzaffarnagar in the Lok Sabha elections. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was the chief guest of the event and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party chief Hanuman Beniwal was the chief speaker.
Presenting Aam Aadmi Party’s Mr Mann as the country’s only Jat CM, Mr Balyan took on the administration and said he stepped down out of respect for the (Punjab) CM, otherwise he would have protested the removal of the Jat prefix (before Sansad) on the board. “After discussion, the administration has promised to return it within 15 days. If they don’t, we will organize a massive panchayat,” he said.
Interestingly, the event was held in Sardhana constituency, a stronghold of BJP’s Rajput face, Sangeet Som, who traded barbs with Mr. Balyan after he lost the seat in 2022. On the other hand, Mr. Balyan’s supporters considered Mr. Som’s ‘Rajput panchayats’ one of the reasons for their leader’s surprise defeat in 2024.
“Purification” statue
In a similar development, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav “cleansed” a statue of 9th-century Gurjar emperor Mihir Bhoj with Ganga water during a rally in Dadri on Sunday. This gesture was a direct response to the dispute over whether the king belonged to the Gurjar or Rajput community.
Published – 31 March 2026 07:58 IST
