In the first glimmer of hope for an end to the 16-day-old agitation, the Rajasthan government and the Gurjar leadership agreed on Sunday to hold preliminary talks
BAYANA/JAIPUR: In the first glimmer of hope for an end to the 16-day-old agitation, the Rajasthan government and the Gurjar leadership agreed on Sunday to hold preliminary talks in the community stronghold of Bayana in Bharatpur district.
The talks are expected to be held between state government officials and the Gujjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti spearheaded by 70-year-old Kirori Singh Bainsla on Monday, informed sources said.
In a bid to break the deadlock and bring Bainsla, a retired colonel, to the negotiating table, the state authorities, earlier in the day, offered to hold preliminary parleys with the Gurjar leadership in Bayana provided the main talks took place in Jaipur.
Bainsla, who is camping in the violence-hit Karwadi-Pilupura area, about 5 km from Bayana, said if the preliminary talks were “fruitful” and held in a “conducive” atmosphere, he would go to Jaipur for further parleys.
The sources said SN Thanvi, the government’s chief negotiator, was expected to go to Jaipur to seek instructions from the top state political leadership before proceeding for the first round.
Meanwhile, the samiti agitating for ST status submitted to the authorities a list of 45 names who will be representing the community at the parleys.
However, the government asked Bainsla to limit the list to a dozen and not include the names of Gurjar leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi since the matter related to Rajasthan.
Thanvi told reporters earlier in Bayana that “we are in touch with Bainsla on mobile phone. We are willing to have preliminary talks at Bayana on the condition that the main talks will be held in Jaipur only”.
Thanvi, who is principal secretary (irrigation), said, “We have advised him that the talks will be convened between a delegation of the state government and the Gurjar group which should not exceed a specified number.”
Attempts by the state government to bring Bainsla to the negotiating table had failed on Saturday as the two sides refused to budge from their stand over the choice of the venue.
While the state authorities wanted the parleys to be held in Jaipur, Bainsla insisted that they take place in Bayana.
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