People from Gujjar community block NH11 Jaipur-Agra highway in Dausa district of Rajasthan (PTI Photo)
Talks to resolve the stand-off over the issue of job reservation for Gujjars will continue today with a spokesperson for their delegation saying a breakthrough is likely during the fresh parleys after the Rajasthan government on Wednesday expressed its inability to meet
their demands.
The Rajasthan government invited the Gujjars for another round of talks with the assurance of a fresh formula to resolve the impasse after it told them today that it would not be possible to accord five per cent quota in jobs within the legal limit of 50 per cent.
A separate quota within the 50 per cent limit would have adverse consequences for social harmony in the state, the government said.
"A government official told us that a fresh proposal to meet our demands would be made today, so we are staying on to hold the next round of the talks. A breakthrough is likely today," Himmat Singh, spokesperson for the Gujjar Arakshan Sangharh Samiti, told PTI.
After the talks failed on Wednesday evening, the Gujjar delegation initially expressed dissatisfaction over the government's efforts before and later agreed to hold another meeting in Jaipur.
They are expecting that the government would come up with a fresh formula for 5 per cent quota for the Gujjar community.
Speaking to reporters after talks with the Gujjar delegation, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Rathore said, "We expressed the government's inability to make any change in the current reservation arrangements in view of social harmony."
"We cannot accord separate five per cent reservation to Gujjars within the limit of 50 per cent. The Gujjar delegates said they will discuss it with their people and get back to us
soon," he said.
Although the Gujjar delegation initially expressed dissatisfaction over the government's stand, the members decided to stay back in Jaipur after a proposal came for another meeting.
"The government gave us a draft highlighting the efforts it had made in the past to ensure reservation for the community, but we are not satisfied with that."
"It expressed its inability to accord five per cent reservation for us in jobs within 50 per cent as it may disturb social harmony," said Himmat Singh.
Earlier, the government directed the local administration and police in four districts to evacuate Gujjar agitators from railway tracks and highways in compliance with a high court order.
While parleys between the Gujjars and the government will continue, the High Court has also summoned the Rajasthan DGP and the Chief Secretary to appear before it to share what action has been taken to remove rail and road blockade put up as part of the Gujjar agitation. Gujjars have been blocking railway tracks and roads for a week now to press for five per cent quota in government jobs.
The government and the Gujjar delegation held a detailed discussion on Tuesday night over the issue, but that failed to yield any conclusive results following which another round of talks took place today at the Secretariat.
A three-member ministerial committee comprising the Rajasthan Parliamentary and Health minister Rajendra Rathore, Social Justice minister Arun Chaturvedi and Food minister Hem Singh Bhadana is engaging with the 13-member Gujjar delegation.
Meanwhile, the Delhi-Mumbai railway line in Bharatpur, Agra-Jaipur national highway in Dausa and a state highway in Sawaimadhopur remained blocked on Wednesday on the seventh day of the agitation.
Pulling up the state government for giving a "free-hand" to Gujjar agitators, Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday directed the Chief Secretary and the police chief to appear before it and also to immediately restore traffic on the Jaipur-Agra national highway.
Following the high court directive, the Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria directed that the railway tracks and highways be cleared peacefully in compliance with the court order.
"Directions were given to Jaipur and Bharatpur range IGs and Collectors of Bharatpur, Dausa, Karauli and Sawaimadhopur to clear the blockade on highways and rail tracks," Mr Kataria told PTI.
The first round of talks on Saturday at Bayana in Bharatpur involving the leader of the agitating Gujjars, Kirori Singh Bainsla, had failed to bring about a resolution.
In a letter to Bainsla, the govenment said that reservation may be granted beyond the 50 per cent of legal limit also.
The letter stated that the BJP government was committed to granting five per cent reservation under Specially Backward Class to Gujjar (and also Raika Rebari, Banjara, Baldiya, Labana, Gadiya Luhar and Gadolia communities) and any legal hurdles would be removed.
The Gujjars are demanding reservation under the limit of 50 per cent while the government has said that a separate quota within the legal limit would have adverse consequences for social harmony.