CPI(M) steps up attack on Rajasthan govt calls for peace

NEW DELHI: The CPI(M) today asked the Centre and the Rajasthan government to take steps to restore peace in the strife-torn desert state while blaming the 'opportunist policies of the BJP for the present tension.

The party also appealed to the leaders and members of both Gujjar and Meena communities to desist from violence and come to the negotiating table to find an amicable solution to the crisis. "The opportunist policies and false promises of the BJP government is responsible for the present situation. There is danger that the confrontation between the two communities may spread to other states," it said.

The CPI(M) had earlier demanded a judicial inquiry into the police firing on Gujjars and alleged that the Vasundhara Raje government has become 'notorious for its 'heavy-handed police repression'.

In a statement, the party Polit Bureau asked the state government and the Centre to 'take all appropriate measures to control the situation and restore peace and normal life in the disturbed areas.'

Meanwhile, violence continued to rock parts of Rajasthan for the fifth straight day today in the wake of the Gujjars' agitation for Scheduled Tribe status with protestors setting afire a railway station at Sanganer.