Gujjar leader ready to talk with Rajasthan govt

JAIPUR: Amid voices of dissent among his own ranks, Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla on Wednesday agreed to initiate dialogue with Rajasthan government over his community’s demand for 5% reservation in state government jobs and educational institutions.

He said an eight-member delegation will hold talks with the state government to find out an amicable solution to the quota deadlock.

“The members of the delegation will be elected by community members. The final decision, after discussing the matter with the state government, will be taken only after arriving at a consensus,” he said.

Meanwhile, the dissension was apparent in Dausa when a Gujjar faction, led by sitting MLA Hem Badhana, decided to call off the sit-in on the Dausa-Manota railway track. It has now cleared the Jaipur-Delhi rail route, prompting North Western Railways (NWR) to restore the rail services in the route.

“We have restored rail services on the Jaipur-Delhi route, which had been disrupted since last Friday,” said NWR chief public relation officer Lalit Bohra.

In a bid to pacify the community, the state government announced late Tuesday that it would hold back 4% of the jobs, in addition to the 1% already being given to them, till a final court decision. This announcement was a major shift in government stand.

The state government, headed by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, had till now proposed to set aside only “notional posts” for SBCs till the high court verdict.

The state Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has assured Gujjars of finding an amicable solution to the quota stir within the constitutional limits. “We will continue offering 1% quota to the Gujjars. We will reserve the remaining 4% quota and fill it after the community wins 5% quota within the constitutional framework,” he said.

Kirori Singh Bainsla, who was adamant on continuing the stir on the Pilukapura railways track till the quota demand was not met, softened his stand. Known as ‘Rock of Gibraltor’ during his army days, Bainsla had to change his strategy amid mounting pressure from the state government.

He is also stung by his own community members who have reportedly shown distrust in his leadership. “If you (Gujjars) don’t have trust in me, I am ready to leave the track. The problem now is that the agitation has given rise to more leaders than needed,” he said.

Rajasthan government’s principal secretary for urban development said: “Right now, the Gujjars are holding talks among themselves and they have communicated that once discussions end, they would like to have talks with us. We are hopeful of an outcome and this agitation to end,” said GS Sandhu.

Meanwhile, the state government has toughened its stand on Gujjars. It has booked around 4,000 agitators under various sections for damaging government properties and obstructing government duty.