Gujjars to hold third round of talks with Rajasthan government

Efforts to find a solution to the 12-day-old agitation by Gujjars demanding quota in government jobs intensified today with the community leadership agreeing to hold the third round of talks with the Rajasthan government in Jaipur.

A 21-member Gujjar delegation will discuss the reservation and allied issues with a committee of state ministers comprising energy minister Jitendra Singh, home minister Shanti Dhariwal and transport minister BK Sharma at the state secretariat building.

Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsala had late last night agreed to send the delegation to hold talks with the committee.

However, he will not be present during the talks between the two sides and is likely to join if the dialogue ends on a positive note.

"Bainsla is now sending a delegation for the talks and we have informed the government about it," Roop Singh, a Bainsla aide, told Press Trust of India.

"The next round of the talks will take place here. Bainsla is likely to reach Jaipur by the evening or tomorrow if this round of talks end on a positive note," GS Sandhu, principal secretary of urban development and a government emissary camping at Bayana in Bharatpur district, said.

"They (Gujjars) informed us last night and confirmed this morning. Hopefully, the issue would be resolved soon," he said.

The Gujjars demanding 5% quota in state jobs had yesterday held the second round of talks with the government after which the two sides said that the negotiations were moving in a positive direction.

Bainsla had asked all the MLAs, MPs and other public representatives of the community to discuss the quota issue at Pilukapura before the next round of talks with the government in order to resolve the issue.

The Gujjars are also demanding intervention of Congress leaders, who belong to their community in resolving the matter.

Besides reservation in state jobs, the community members are demanding release of Gujjar agitators from jails, withdrawal of cases against them and compensation to the families of those killed in previous agitations.

The high court had on December 22 stayed the operation of an act granting 5% reservation to Gujjars and directed the state government to undertake a quantifiable data collection exercise within one year to justify the quota for members of the community.

Gujjars have been blocking Mumbai-Delhi rail tracks at Pilukapura in Bharatpur and at Malarna in Sawaimadhopur, Jaipur-Agra National Highway at Dausa and several other roads in Bharatpur, Sawaimadhopur, Karauli and Alwar in support of their demand.