Gujjars in Rajasthan warn of another protest for quota
Accuse BJP govt of backtracking on 5% reservation under SBC category
JAIPUR/ AJMER: The Gujjar community in Rajasthan is angry over the backtracking by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government on the issue of reservation in jobs and accuses the government of “stabbing them in the back”.
The BJP government’s decision to give 5% reservation in government jobs to Gujjars and four other communities under the Special Backward Classes (SBC) category was struck down by the Rajasthan High Court in December 2016, saying it exceeded the 50% reservation ceiling.
The court noted that data had not been properly collected to establish the backwardness of the five communities.
The Gujjars and other communities were earlier covered under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, but in 2015, the government placed the five communities under the Special Backward Classes category and granted them 5% separate quota.
Now the community is not getting the benefit of either category.
Gujjar leaders on Wednesday boycotted a meeting with the cabinet sub-committee handling the issue of reservation.
Gujjar leader Col Kirori Singh Bainsla warned that if the community was not given reservation under the Special Backward Classes quota they would re-launch their agitation.
The Gujjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti has called for a mahapanchayat on February 25 in Karauli. Dharnas have already started in Sikandra in Dausa district, Bansur in Alwar district and Kusali village in Sawai Madhopur district.
In Gujjar-dominated villages in Ajmer district, the community is angry and blames the Vasundhara Raje government for failing to protect the community’s interest.
“The government has cheated us,” said Ramawtar Tanwar, a community elder in Gujjar-dominated Pinglod village, about 10 km from Ajmer.
“Believing chief minister Vasundhara Raje … that Gujjars would get 5% reservation, the community voted en bloc for the BJP in the 2013 assembly and 2014 Lok Sabaha elections helping the Bharatiya Janata Party to win all the eight assembly seats in Ajmer region and the Lok Sabha seat of the district,” he said.
Community youngsters are angry with Vasundhara Raje for grossly mishandling the reservation quota issue in the high court.
“The future of hundreds of community youngsters is at stake. Appointments in government jobs of those who cleared competitive exams under the SBC category have been withheld and we are apprehensive if we will ever get a job if the present impasse continues in court,” said Mahendra Bhadana of Bidkichiya was village who is preparing for competitive exams.
“A cousin, who was selected as a government teacher in the SBC category was denied appointment as a result of the court verdict,” he said.