Gujjar faction sets June 13 deadline

SIKANDRA: Leadership struggle within the Gujjar community took a turn — only time will tell whether it's for better or worse — when thousands of them poured in for yet another ‘mahapanchayat' here on Thursday.

The meet announced a fresh date — June 13 — for choking all the highways in the state if the state government did not yield by June 1 to their demand of 5% reservation in the 80,000 government jobs announced recently. Also featuring now on their charter is a request by the state to the Centre to create a ‘Gujjar regiment' in the defence.

While serving the ultimatum before a gathering of about 3,000 Gujjars, former Delhi legislator Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, however, did not let any opportunity go by to take pot-shots at Bainsla. "He had warned me that he would not let me enter Rajasthan, but here I am. And I am sure he has sent his people to create nuisance here," he alleged.

Bidhuri was referring to an unrest in a section of the crowd at the venue after which some people had to be removed. "We also want all cases on our people to be taken back, those in jail to be freed and at least Rs 10,000 pension for those injured in our agitations," he said.

However, the coup bid by this section of the leadership, who were on the fringe so far, over Kirori Singh Bainsla, who spearheaded the belligerent community's agitation to its logical end, is not without initial hiccups. Bidhuri's coronation, if at all, as the next Gujjar leader in the state was not all smooth.

The assembly in its initial stages was totally disrupted after a certain ‘committee' decided to keep people from Dausa off from addressing the crowd. "A decision has been taken by the committee that no one from Dausa will be allowed to address the crowd," the compere had barely finished the words, his microphone was snatched by local leader Umrao Singh Dhoi. "We will stage the agitation, we will face the bullets. But who is this committee to disallow us from addressing the crowd," he shouted over the mike.

That was enough to stir a hornet's nest as hundreds of people walked up to the dais and disrupted proceedings completely. The organisers then had to take back their words and allow those from Dausa to take hold of the show. Some from the Bainsla camp also took the opportunity to show their ire at having ‘dethroned' him.

What also emerged from the mahapanchayat was that while leaders like Bidhuri, former BJP ministers Prahlad Gunjal, Kalulal Gujjar, Nathu Singh Gujjar, former minister from Haryana Kartar Singh Bhadana and many other former MLAs and MPs might take the front line but it is the people from the community who have now decided to keep them upfront.

"It is for umpteen times that we have towed our leaders only to be cheated at the end. This time, there may be a committee of 10 to 12 people to represent us but we will lead ourselves," said former MLA from Nagar Gopi Chand.