Gujjars intensify agitation in Rajasthan for 5% reservation

Pressing for 5% reservation, Gujjars intensified their agitation on Sunday by blocking highways in parts of Rajasthan and threatening to expand it across the state as they alleged that the state government had failed to offer any concrete proposal to meet their demand.

The community members, who started the renewed agitation on Thursday by disrupting rail traffic, blocked National Highway on Sunday at 11 at Dausa and a state highway in Sawaimadhopur district to build pressure on the state government, a day after their talks ended in a deadlock.

The Gujjars blocked the Agra-Jaipur highway at Sikandara in Dausa and Sawaimadhopur-Sheopur state highway in Khandar area of Sawaimadhopur district where the Gujjars are squatting, police said.

Traffic on both the highways has been diverted to other roads and police has been deployed around the area to maintain law and order, police added.

"Several hundred people blocked the highway at Sikandara this morning while the Sawaimadhopur-Sheopur state highway is also blocked since last night," they said.

"We are intensifying the agitation after the government failed to offer any concrete plan to provide the community five% reservation under the legal limit of 50%.

"Similar agitations would also be launched in other parts of the state if the government does not fulfill our demand," Himmat Singh, spokesperson of the Gujjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti told PTI.

He said Saturday's meeting with three ministers in Bharatpur's Bayana ended inconclusively and there was no fresh proposal from the government so far.