Cabinet Minister Krishan Panwar told a press conference that Saini, while addressing a Meghwal community event in Bawal on Sunday, had said that “this issue is beyond my jurisdiction”. (Photo: Instagram/@krishan_lal_panwar)The Haryana government Thursday claimed that Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had not announced that he will recommend to replace a term denoting a community formerly associated with leather work with “Meghwal” on caste certificates, saying he had only stated that the matter was under the Centre’s jurisdiction.Cabinet Minister Krishan Panwar told a press conference that Saini, while addressing a Meghwal community event in Bawal on Sunday, had said that “this issue is beyond my jurisdiction”.“The Chief Minister had stated from the stage that it’s a matter for the Centre, which takes a call on which caste is to be included in which group. The Chief Minister had made no such announcement, nor did he have any such intention,” Panwar said at a press conference in Chandigarh.Soon after the minister’s press conference, the state government also issued a formal statement.The clarification came amid resentment among sections of the community over the Chief Minister’s remarks. Congress MLA and Dalit leader Geeta Bhukkal had accused Saini of attempting to create a “divide and rule” situation and said the statement had caused resentment in the community.The controversy follows Saini’s address at the event organised by the Meghwal Utthan Samiti in Bawal, Rewari, where he responded to a 10-point memorandum submitted by the organisation.One of the demands was that members of the community associated with leather work who wished to do so should be allowed to use “Meghwal” on their Scheduled Caste certificates. Saini had said: “As you have demanded, the members of the community want to adopt ‘Meghwal’ term…. To facilitate issuance of such (Meghwal) caste certificates, I will make a recommendation to the central government.”Story continues below this adPanwar clarified that the demand was beyond the Chief Minister’s jurisdiction as decisions on the classification and inclusion of castes in Scheduled Caste categories were taken by the Centre.He said the community in question had a population of around 30 lakh in Haryana, while the Meghwal community had around 80,000 members.Bhupender Meghwal, secretary of the Meghwal Utthan Samiti, said around 60,000 caste certificates carrying the term “Meghwal” had already been issued in Haryana. The organisation, he said, wanted others who wished to adopt the term to be allowed to do so.Panwar said Saini respected both communities and was committed to their welfare and upliftment.Sukhbir Siwach's extensive and in-depth coverage of farmer agitation against three farm laws during 2020-21 drew widespread attention. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on InstagramTags:Haryana