The ball is eventually put up in the court of Central government by the Vasundhara Raje's government in Rajasthan, which on Monday sent a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking political solution to the violent Gurjar protests.
Considering dead bodies of about three dozen Gurjar agitators in the last four days and Gurjars, not retreating from their demand to get Scheduled Tribe status; Vasundhara Raje finally has written letter to the Centre seeking four to six percent separate reservation for the community. The government recommended the quota for Gurjars as part of a nomadic tribe under the category of de-notified tribes, which would be different from the SC category.
Raje has also asked the PM to call a meeting of Chief Ministers of state where Gurjars are in abundant number on the issue of Gurjar's ST quota. Because, she said, Rajasthan is not the single state affected by the quota crisis, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh having large population of Gurjars also undergoing critical pressure.
Sources also said the letter sent to the PM was accompanied with recommendation to have a fresh look at the National Scheduled Tribe policy 2006.
The State Cabinet in Rajasthan held a meeting on Monday, discussed the present crisis and sought to reconcile the situation. Raje's letter to the PM was part of the decision taken in Cabinet meeting. Gurjar leaders though have welcomed the political solution to the ST status to the community, but at the same time vowed not to go down from ST status.
The proposal for 4-6 percent quota has further sharpened their anger as Gurjars have decided not to call off their strike. “Our agitation will prolong despite the Rajasthan government's letter to the Prime Minister and will not defer till the state government ensure ST status for Gurjars,” said the Gurjar leader Col K S Bainsla.
Meanwhile to establishing law and order in the troubled areas of the state and prohibiting Gurjars from further indulging in the stormy activities, the state government since Monday morning has jammed the mobile network to restrict the supply of essential items to the agitators. A bunch of nearly 40,000 Gurjars have been congregated along the Delhi-Mumbai route near Dumria Railway station.
The traffic have been badly affected in the strife torn areas and the Jaipur-Agra highway has been at standstill as state government are not in mood to bear further losses, as roadways buses are the prime target for the agitators. Thousands of passengers are stranded at railway stations due to the violence. About 50 roadways buses had set on fire in the last year Gurjar's violent agitation.
|
|
Comments:
