Pilupura, Rajasthan:
Hoping to bring the government on bended knees to the negotiating table, gujjars in Rajasthan have once again adopted strong arm tactics, demanding the implementation of five percent reservation in a special category.
"We are going to stay on this track till social justice is imparted to us in deeds and respect.
We have been cheated three times, we have lost the faith...this is a very important rally route and we did not want to block it but we have been forced into it," said one of the gujjars, Col Kirori Singh Bainsla.
Since 2007, the gujjars, who already have reservation under the OBC category, have been demanding a special job quota or Schedule tribe status. In 2008, the Vasundhara Raje government finally gave in after the gujjars carried out a sit in on the same railway tracks for more than a month. They got five percent reservation in a special category but since that crossed the Supreme Court's cap of 50%, it was stayed by the High court.
After several rounds of failed negotiations, the gujjars once again resorted to the same tactics. However, this time around the government is taking no chances.
"The railway administration is highly alert and if need be we will divert trains from Sawai Madhopur , Bharatpur and Mathura so least inconvenience is created," said Krishna Kunal, Collector Bharatpur.
The railway tracks at the Pilupura village are a vital link in the Delhi-Mumbai rail route and with many trains diverted or cancelled, the gujjar agitation is bound to vex the Rajasthan government once again.