Congress should make to stand clear on Gujjar demand: BJP

New Delhi, May 27 (UNI) Criticising some political parties, particularly the Congress, for trying to derive political mileage out of the 'sensitive' agitation by Gujjars in Rajasthan, the BJP today said the need of the hour is to bring in normalcy and find a solution through dialogue.

The BJP appealed to all political parties to cooperate with the state government which was doing everything possible to maintain peace and at the same time making efforts to open a dialogue with Gujjar leader Colonel (retd)Kirori Singh Bainsla.

Talking to newspersons, BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar asked the Congress to make clear its stand on the demand of the Gujjar community seeking Scheduled Tribe status.

''The power to declare the community in the ST list was with the Central government. The parameters of the Draft Tribal Policy for notifying a tribe in the ST list was very difficult and cumbersome and it would be virtually impossible to include any community into the list of ST,'' he said.

The report of the official committee set up by the Rajasthan government after the Gujjars raised the demand, had been sent to the Centre and they should act at the earliest. The Chief Minister had written a letter to the Centre and the BJP was sympathetic to the concerns of the community but the decision was beyond the powers vested with the state government, the spokesman added.

He said the state government was keeping the BJP leadership apprised of the latest development and any contending claim by some other caste must also be resolved through dialogue.

''We value life of every citizen, be it of the agitators or that of passengers on roads or trains,'' he remarked.

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