Gujjar Reservation issue charges politics in Rajasthan
By chennaivision at 25 July, 2009, 4:45 pm
Jaipur, The proposed Gujjar Mahapanchayat — congregation — in Penchla village of Karauli district by Gujjar Reservation Action Committee to be held tomorrow, has charged the political atmosphere in Rajasthan, forcing the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP to take due strategy.
The political compulsions and concerns for maintaining law and order on the face of the Action Committee Convener Col Kirodi Singh Bainsla’s bid to revive the agitation over the demand of reservation and ST status, forced Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to bring the Gujjar Leader to table for holding talks.
The talks between Col Bainsla and the state government resumed on Thursday evening and rounds of discussions were held between Col Bainsla and Energy Minister Jitendra Singh, who also belong to Gujjar community, and later with Home Minister Shanti Kumar Dhariwal on Thursday late evening.
The next round of talks with Chief Minister Mr Gehlot was scheduled to be held last morning, but the Gujjar leader did not turn up at the CM’s residence for the talks.
The Opposition BJP, to which Col Bainsla is said to be much sympathetic and considerant, is also busy in its “game plan”.
The BJP had disrupted normal proceeding in the state Assembly yesterday following interruption in Leader of the Opposition Vasundhara Raje’s statement in the House over the Rajasthan Reservation Bill 2008.
This forced the Chair to order repeated adjournments and take up for passage the budgetary demands of two departments amid the din and dharna without debate and Minister’s reply.
The BJP legislature party had also staged a dharna for about two-and-a-half hours in the well of the House and later the MLAs proceeded to the Rajbhawan to submit a memorandum to demand Governor’s early approval to the Bill.
Both the Congress and BJP were holding each other responsible for the situation and repercussions of that. Talking to newspersons here yesterday, Mr Gehlot said the Opposition was trying to revive Gujjar agitation in the state and working to hamper the state government’s efforts to sort out the issue with Gujjar Leader Col Bainsla.
He said Col Bainsla was with BJP and contested recently Tonk Sawai Madhopur Lok Sabha seat on a BJP ticket.
The BJP state President and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly should persuade Col Bainsla not to revive the agitation, he said.
The Chief Minister said he did not mind holding of Gujjar congregation in Paichla in Karauli district tomorrow, but if the law and order was disturbed it was the BJP who would be held responsible for that.
However, Leader of the Opposition Ms Raje while talking to newspersons yesterday refuted Chief Minister’s allegations and said the delay in Governor’s nod to the Reservation Bill, passed unanimously by the Assembly one-year ago, was responsible for resentment among Gujjars.
She reiterated that “pressure from the Congress” prevented the Governor’s nod to the Bill and alleged that the Rajbhawan was working as ”Congress Bhawan”.
Ms Raje said the ruling Congress would be responsible if the law and order was disrupted in the state during the Gujjar agitation.
No comments yet.