Agitating Gujjars on Friday announced that they were ready for third round of talks with Rajasthan government but said Congress leaders of the community should intervene before the parleys in order to find a solution to their 12-day-old protest demanding quota in government jobs.
A 21-member Gujjar delegation was supposed to meet a committee of State ministers comprising Energy Minister Jitendra Singh, Home Minister Shanti Dhariwal and Transport Minister B. K. Sharma at Jaipur on Friday.
However, the delegation has now stressed that Congress leaders of their community intervene ahead of the talks.
“I said last night and today again that we are ready for the talks, but, before that, we want to know about the response of Congress leaders who are from our community, including Sachin Pilot, in resolving the issue,” Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsala said at Pilukapura in Bharatpur.
“After getting their response and feedback about their party’s intention regarding the issue, we would send our delegation to Jaipur,” he said.
“There is no fresh development as we are waiting for a formal invitation from the government and response from the Congress leaders of our community,” Roop Singh, Mr. Bainsla’s aide, said.
G. S. Sandhu, a senior IAS and government emissary at Bayana said, “We have already given them (Gujjar leaders) invitation to meet the State ministers at Jaipur to discuss the issue. They also confirmed us this morning, but still there is no development and we are also waiting for their response“.
Besides five per cent reservation in State jobs, the community members are demanding release of Gujjar agitators from jails, withdrawal of cases against them and compensation to the families of those killed in previous agitations.
The High Court had on December 22 stayed the operation of an Act granting five per cent reservation to Gujjars and directed the State government to undertake a quantifiable data collection exercise within one year to justify the quota for members of the community.
Gujjars have been blocking Mumbai-Delhi rail tracks at Pilukapura in Bharatpur and at Malarna in Sawaimadhopur, Jaipur—Agra National Highway at Dausa and several other roads in Bharatpur, Sawaimadhopur, Karauli and Alwar in support of their demand.
