Gujjars threatened to launch a nationwide agitation if their demand for according ST status to them was not met by the Vasundhra Raje government by Sept 12.
JHALARAPATAN (RAJASTHAN): Gujjars on Sunday threatened to launch a nationwide agitation if their demand for according Scheduled Tribe status to them was not met by the Vasundhra Raje government by September 12.
This was decided at a meeting of the National Gurjar Mahapanchayat here attended among others by Col (Retd) Kirori Mal Singh Bhainsala who spearheaded the Gujjar stir a few months ago in Rajasthan.
The Gujjar Mahapanchayat warned the Raje government in Rajasthan to concede its demand by September 12 or else the community would launch a countrywide stir.
It asked the Centre to order a high-level enquiry into the killing of 26 Gujjars during their agitation in the state in May-June this year.
Gujjar leaders from Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh attended the Mahapanchayat held in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district.
The nature of the renewed agitation would be decided at the next Mahapanchayat at Dholpur on September 13, Bhainsala told a mammoth rally.
Gujjar leaders at the Mahapanchayat asked Raje to own moral responsibility for the killing of 26 members of their community and quit the post.
Bhainsala, who addressed the rally in Raje's assembly constituency, assured Gujjars that they would get the ST tag soon.
"If the BJP government in Rajasthan does not send its recommendations to the Centre in this regard by September 12," Gujjars would revive their agitation, he said.
Expelled BJP leader Prahlad Gunjan, who organised the Mahapanchayat, accused the Chief Minister of betraying the community by not recommending the ST status for them.
He asked the rallyists to teach BJP a lesson in the next assembly election in the state.
Congress MP Sachin Pilot, who also addressed the Mahapanchayat, demanded a high-level central probe into the killing of 26 Gurjars and said guilty should be brought to book.
Pilot, who represents Dausa constituency in the Lok Sabha, flayed the Raje government for its handling of the Gurjar stir.
Amid heavy showers, a number of leaders including Atar Singh Bhandana (suspended BJP MLA from Rajasthan), Manju Singh Gurjar, hailing from BSP, and Ram Kishan Verma (Congress) addressed the Mahapanchayat.
Over one lakh people attended the Mahapanchayat held under tight security.
Close to 5,000 police personnel were deployed at the venue to maintain law and order.
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