Mulayam, Amar Singh detained while trying to meet Bainsla

Jaipur, May 26 : Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh were detained today on the outskirts of Bharatpur at Ooncha Nangla. They were on their way to meet Gujjar leader, Colonel (retired) Kirori Singh Bainsla, at Pilupura village.

According to the police, both leaders who are Z-class security protectees, were told that their security could not be assured if they went into the agitation area.

As the stalemate with the Gujjars continued in Rajasthan after their leader Bainsla refused to talk, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, asking him to call a meeting of Chief Ministers on the issue.

She said the Gujjar issue has ramifications not only for Rajasthan, but for other states too.

Raje has also recommended four-six per cent reservation for Gujjars as a nomadic tribe under the category of de-notified tribes.

Over 30 people have been killed in the violence since Friday, and by the time the Rajasthan Government decided to initiate talks, Bainsla said the group was not interested in talking peace.

Meanwhile, caught in this crossfire between agitating Gujjars and the Raje Government, hundreds of stranded bus and rail passengers have been hard hit in the desert state.

Gujjar protestors have burnt government buses in Bharatpur, Kota and Dausa districts.

In the Gujjar agitation in 2007, over four-dozen buses were set on fire. And now, the government is not allowing vehicles to ply on the Jaipur-Agra Highway.

ANI