JAIPUR: Upbeat over his stand on the Gujjar quota issue, chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday was felicitated by a group of Gujjars at his Civil Lines residence in Jaipur.
Gehlot postponed his Mumbai visit by a day where he was going to unveil Rajasthan House as he preferred celebrating his success with the Gujjars, who seem to be pacified after years of agitation and bloodshed. Gehlot offered a daal-baati feast to the visiting Gujjars and assured the government's commitment to ensure quota for the community. The state cabinet had on Thursday approved the 1% immediate quota for Gujjars and 4% notional quota for them.
However, all is not well as a section of Gujjars is still on the warpath and are still continuing with their stir. They claim that the quota given by the state was not acceptable and they want 5% full-fledged quota.
According to Man Singh Gujjar, "The way the Gujjar stir ended was not what we had wanted. We wanted it to end with a mahapanchayat at Sikandra. But that was not to be and Kirori Singh Bainsla did a hurried job. We do not accept his decision."
On Friday, about 200 villages called for a mahapanchayat at Sikandra and a proposal was passed wherein the mahapadav refused to acknowledge Bainsla as their leader and decided to continue with the agitation. The proposal was brought in by Gopichand Gujjar and was passed by a show of hands.
However, Man Singh Gujjar added that since the agitation was fast taking a violent turn, even those leaders who were with the Sikandra agitation are fast disassociating themselves from it.
"There is no point just holding a mahapadav in Sikandra alone. Soon the administration would come and drive them away resulting in casualties," he said.
“We were against Bainlsa decision but are for a peaceful agitation and have decided to call a national mahapanchyat at Sikandra on May 13. Till then, we wanted to lift the road blockade as it is inconveniencing commuters and business establishments in the area. However, there are some anti-social elements who are continuing with it and we, the leaders, who were with them initially have now disassociated ouselves from it," he added.
Singh said that after the mahapanchayat on May 13 they will intimate chief minister Ashok Gehlot of their decision and would wait to see how the government keep its stance for the community at the High court in the next hearing.
“After that what happens will be decided in the May 13 mahapanchayat," he said.
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