Headway in Gujjar deadlock; Both sides gearing up for talks

Jaipur, May 29 (UNI) The process to end the standoff between the Rajasthan Government and agitating Gujjars made headway today with both sides appeared to have intiated preparations for talks.

BJP MP from Bharatpur Vishwendra Singh offered to mediate for the Government with the agitating leaders while the government decided to conduct post-mortem of victims of police firing whose bodies were lying at SMS Hospital here and District Hospital at Bharatpur.

The Gujjar leaders also set to gear themselves up for a possible round of talks with the government. A meeting of the national leaders of the community leaders is scheduled to be held in Jaipur Gujjar Hostel tomorrow, Dr Roop Singh, a Gujjar Reservation Action Committee activist and Col (retd) Kirodi Singh Bainsla's close confidant, said.

The Gujjar leaders would discuss within themselves and with legal experts the scope and feasibility of negotiation or talks with Government over the demand for ST status.

The leaders would also go to Pillikapuera to meet Col Bainsla, Mr Singh said.

The State Government is also said to be busy in preparing general outline draft for possible talks.

However, no invitation for talks has so far been received by the action committee, Mr Singh said.

The first anniversary of the first phase of the Gujjar reservation agitation which had taken toll of 26 lives on this day last year, by and large passed off peacefully with no major untoward incident reported from any place.

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