Gurjar flames may singe Cong next
While the stir launched by the Gurjars in Rajasthan for shifting them from the list of OBCs to the ST category has upset the BJP’s applecart, bringing the party into the firing line of the community, it also threatens to put a spoke in the Congres...
By TIMES INTERNET NETWORK |
NEW DELHI: While the stir launched by the Gurjars in Rajasthan for shifting them from the list of OBCs to the ST category has upset the BJP’s applecart, bringing the party into the firing line of the community, it also threatens to put a spoke in the Congress’s comeback plans in the state.
The BJP is already facing the heat of the agitation launched by the Gurjars, which has claimed the lives of 18 persons. Even as the flames threaten to engulf other states with a substantial population of the caste-members, the Congress, far from drawing comfort from its principal political opponent’s plight, is monitoring the situation closely and treading with caution.
It has reasons to be wary of the socio-political fallout of ongoing Gurjar upsurge. While the recommendation for accrediting the community with the ST status has to be made by the state government — the Vasundhara Raje government claims it’s already on the job by asking the district collectors to obtain data about the socio-economic status of the community-members in their respective domain — the final call on the issue has to be taken by the Centre.
For, Article 342 (1) of the Constitution states that “the President may, with respect to any state or Union territory, after consultation with the Governor, by public notification, specify the tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within tribes or tribal communities which shall, for the purposes of this Constitution, be deemed to be STs in relation to the state (or UT, as the case may be)”.
Again, according to Article 342 (2), Parliament may, by law, include in, or exclude from, the list of STs specified in a notification issued under clause (1) any tribe or tribal community or part of or group within any tribe or tribal community, but save as aforesaid a notification issued under the said clause shall not be varied by any subsequent notification.
That being the situation, there are several scenarios being visualised by political experts.
Scenario 1: The state government rejects the proposal. The Gurjars, who comprise about 5% of the electorate in Rajasthan, go on rampage, but the Meenas, who number around 10%, express their gratitude to the BJP government.
Scenario 2: The Rajasthan government sticks to its promise made to the Gurjars and recommends the ST status for the community. This puts the ball in the Centre’s court, and the state earns the goodwill of the caste-members, who comprise some 5% of the electorate in Rajasthan, but forfeits the backing of the Meenas, who number around 10%.
Scenario 3: The Manmohan Singh government endorses the state government’s recommendation. The Gurjars swing towards the Congress, but the Meenas are furious.
Scenario 4: The Centre refuses to act on the issue, and sits on the proposal. The Gurjars turn their ire against the Congress, the Meenas against the BJP.
In either of these cases, the BJP loses out. But the Congress too would be watching the unfolding situation very closely for fear of being dragged in the caste cauldron. A decision in favour of granting the ST status on the Gurjars will also open a Pandora’s box, prompting other castes to follow a similar route in the other states. That is a situation that the Congress would be keen to avoid.
The BJP is already facing the heat of the agitation launched by the Gurjars, which has claimed the lives of 18 persons. Even as the flames threaten to engulf other states with a substantial population of the caste-members, the Congress, far from drawing comfort from its principal political opponent’s plight, is monitoring the situation closely and treading with caution.
It has reasons to be wary of the socio-political fallout of ongoing Gurjar upsurge. While the recommendation for accrediting the community with the ST status has to be made by the state government — the Vasundhara Raje government claims it’s already on the job by asking the district collectors to obtain data about the socio-economic status of the community-members in their respective domain — the final call on the issue has to be taken by the Centre.
For, Article 342 (1) of the Constitution states that “the President may, with respect to any state or Union territory, after consultation with the Governor, by public notification, specify the tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within tribes or tribal communities which shall, for the purposes of this Constitution, be deemed to be STs in relation to the state (or UT, as the case may be)”.
Again, according to Article 342 (2), Parliament may, by law, include in, or exclude from, the list of STs specified in a notification issued under clause (1) any tribe or tribal community or part of or group within any tribe or tribal community, but save as aforesaid a notification issued under the said clause shall not be varied by any subsequent notification.
That being the situation, there are several scenarios being visualised by political experts.
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Scenario 1: The state government rejects the proposal. The Gurjars, who comprise about 5% of the electorate in Rajasthan, go on rampage, but the Meenas, who number around 10%, express their gratitude to the BJP government.
Scenario 2: The Rajasthan government sticks to its promise made to the Gurjars and recommends the ST status for the community. This puts the ball in the Centre’s court, and the state earns the goodwill of the caste-members, who comprise some 5% of the electorate in Rajasthan, but forfeits the backing of the Meenas, who number around 10%.
Scenario 3: The Manmohan Singh government endorses the state government’s recommendation. The Gurjars swing towards the Congress, but the Meenas are furious.
Scenario 4: The Centre refuses to act on the issue, and sits on the proposal. The Gurjars turn their ire against the Congress, the Meenas against the BJP.
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In either of these cases, the BJP loses out. But the Congress too would be watching the unfolding situation very closely for fear of being dragged in the caste cauldron. A decision in favour of granting the ST status on the Gurjars will also open a Pandora’s box, prompting other castes to follow a similar route in the other states. That is a situation that the Congress would be keen to avoid.
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