Gujjar-State Govt to keep dialogue on, Col Bainsla being consulted

Jaipur, Jun 14 (UNI) The agitating Gujjar leaders and Rajasthan government delegates today appeared to have reached a broad understanding over the government's move to write another letter to the Centre in favour of Gujjar reservation and related issues and decided to hold another round of talks after consulting Gujjar leader Col (retd) Kirori Singh Bainsla.

Both the sides expressed full satisfaction over the progress of dialogue after the third round of talks here which lasted for three-and-a-half hours.

Briefing reporters after the talks, government delegation leader and the BJP Treasurer Ramdas Agrawal and Gujjar delegation leader Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University Vice Chancellor Masood Chaudhary said a four-member team of Gujjar leaders was being sent to Pillukapura to brief Col Bainsla over the progress during the two-day talks and to seek his directives over the future course of action.

The next round of talks would be held either late this evening or tomorrow after consultation with the Gujjar leader, they said.

Mr Agrawal and Mr Chaudhary said they had conveyed to Col Bainsla that if possible he should come to Jaipur to join in the further course of dialogue.

They claimed that the talks had made good progress and were going on in a very cordial and positive atmosphere.

''We have moved closer to a solution,'' they said.

On being asked whether the Gujjars had given up their demand of recommendatory letter from the Government for the ST status, Mr Chaudhary said that it was not possible to give up the demand and ''we are hopeful that any government would have sympathetic view over the community's demand''.

However, Mr Agrawal remained non-committal over the state government's view on the issue, saying, ''wait for the conclusion of talks''.

''We are moving in the right direction and will achieve a solution soon,'' he added.

Meanwhile, BJP legislator and former Minister Dr Kirodi Lal Meena has submitted his resignation from his Assembly membership in protest against the state government's ''readiness to write to the Centre in favour of the Gujjar demand for reservation''.

Mr Meena said he had sent his resignation to Speaker Sumitra Singh's Office.

However, Ms Singh said she was not aware of Mr Meena's move as she was away from Jaipur.

State BJP president Om Prakash Mathur was also non-committal over Mr Meena's move.

UNI SS PK NS1755