Jaipur:
Gujjars in Rajasthan led by Colonel Bainsla are again on the warpath. They are angry that though the Quota bill that gave them 5 per cent reservations was passed last year, they are yet to get any benefits.
While it's the Rajasthan High Court that has stayed their Quotas, the Gujjars want to get reservations in the 80 thousand jobs that the Gehlot government plans to fill up.
"We ask the government to give us our five per cent reservations and ensure that our rights are protected in the recruitment for 80 thousand government jobs that they plan to begin. Otherwise, with the support of my community, I will not let this government function in our state," said Colonel Kirori Singh Bainsla, BJP Leader and President, Gujjar Reservation Front.
But the Gujjars are now a divided house. And several other factions held a Peace March in Jaipur on Thursday, calling Bainsla's demand as constitutionally impractical as it violates the Supreme Court cap of 50 per cent on all reservations.
They argue that Bainsla, who fought the last Lok Sabha elections as a BJP candidate is politically motivated.
"When it's the High Court which has put a stay on our quotas, we must wait till the court gives a final verdict. Every sane person knows that once a matter is with the judiciary, no government can take any action. Col Bainsla is trying to do all this only because he is tied to a political party now," said R C Saraadna, President, Gujjar Mahasabha, Rajasthan.
Meanwhile, the Gehlot government has opened back channel talks with the Bainsla camp. But they have also deployed additional forces to deal with any breach of law. Gujjar agitations in the past led to much violence, and for the Gehlot government preventing the agitation this time from getting out of hand will be a tough task.