National

Bainsla’s condition for participation in talks

JAIPUR: Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla on Sunday said his participation in the talks with the Rajasthan government on the Scheduled Tribe status for the community here was subject to the government’s response to the amendments suggested by him to the government’s draft proposals for a solution to the demand.

The Gujjar leader said he would go to Jaipur to join the negotiations if there were “positive indications” from the government on his fresh suggestions.

Gujjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti leader and Mr. Bainsla’s associate Roop Singh told The Hindu that the Gujjar supremo suggested some changes to the government’s proposals to end the 24-day-old stir.

The proposals were conveyed to him by a Gujjar team that was flown from here by a helicopter.

Mr. Roop Singh said the dialogue between the community and the government would continue. Mr. Bainsla’s presence would help in finding a way out only in the final round. “The collective leadership of the community is examining all aspects of the government’s proposals.”

Both Mr. Bainsla and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje have so far stayed away from the talks that started on Friday. The two sides have not revealed the contents of the package offered by the government. They have also not made public the formula being evolved to resolve the contentious issue of reservation for the Gujjars under the ST category.

A Gujjar team, comprising Nationalist Congress Party MLA from Delhi Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Haryana MLA Sukhbir Singh Jaunpuria flew in to Pilupura on Sunday morning to brief Mr. Bainsla on the outcome of parleys with the government and convey the proposals made by government negotiators.

The team returned here in the evening and went straight to the residence of Bharatiya Janata Party treasurer Ramdas Agrawal – one of the government representatives in the talks – to convey the views of the community and pass on the communiqué from Mr. Bainsla. BJP State president Om Prakash Mathur was present on the occasion.

With both sides affirming that the final round of negotiations would be held “very soon,” there were indications that a formula based on a middle path acceptable to both parties was being worked out.

However, it was clear that the future parleys would depend on the stand taken by the Gujjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti.

The State government has indicated after two days of talks that it was willing to send a reply to the Centre’s letter of 1999 asking the State to send recommendations for granting ST status to new castes with the facts, evidence and statistics justifying the claim.

Other options to mollify the Gujjars include extension of reservation in the denotified tribe category or fixing a percentage for them within the quota for OBCs.

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