Gujjars and Rajasthan govt closer to agreement

Jaipur, Jun 16 (UNI) The Rajasthan government and agitating Gujjar leaders today appeared to have moved closer to an amicable solution to pave the way for an end to the 25-day-old pitched agitation, for ST status, which has taken at least 38 lives.

Gujjar Reservation Action Committee Convener Col(retd) Kirodi Singh Bainsla who has been spearheading a dharna on railway tracks at Pillukapura-Karwadi since May 23, arrived here to lead the 24- member Gujjar delegation in the decisive phase of ongoing talks with the state government.

Soon after his arrival at the Sanganer airport here, the Gujjar leader drove to a RTDC rest house here to have initial discussion with associate Gujjar delegates who have been holding a dialogue with representatives of the state government since Friday.

The decisive phase of talks is slated for later in the day.

Prior to this, a four-member team comprising two Gujjar leaders and two government officials had gone Pillukapura yesterday to brief Col Bainsla over the progress of ongoing talks and prospective government proposals figured during the talks for meeting the reservation aspiration of the agitating community.

Col Bainsla suggested certain modifications and improvements in the proposed drafts to ensure a better deal for Gujjars.

Soon after its arrival here, the four-member team had conveyed Col Bainsla's sentiments and expectations over the draft proposals to the government which reportedly gave its nod for considering the suggestions of modifications and improvement.

Accordingly, Col Bainsla was contacted last evening and he had given his consent to come Jaipur to participate in the final round of talks.

Meanwhile, the Meena community's counter pressure politics is on.

The campaign which was initiated with resignation from Assembly by BJP MLA and former minister Kirodi Lal Meena and two others, continued.

A group of MLAs from Meena community,including former minister Virender Meena, met ruling BJP state president Om Prakash Mathur today to convey to him their concern over the state government's "readiness" to write to the Centre favouring reservation for Gujjars.

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