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Wednesday, May 30, 2007
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An embarrassment to BJP leadership

Special Correspondent

Protesting Gujjars just wanted poll promise fulfilled

"Constitutional difficulties" involved Verma seeks high-level probe into firing

NEW DELHI: Tuesday's firing in Dausa, which claimed 13 lives, has caused an embarrassment to the Bharatiya Janata Party's leadership as the protesting Gujjars were just demanding implementation of a promise made during the 2003 Rajasthan Assembly elections.

Asked why the Vasundhara Raje Government did not yet fulfil the promise of giving Gujjars the Scheduled Tribe status, BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said there were "constitutional difficulties." Only Parliament could include or exclude communities listed as SC or ST.

A group of Ministers was already working on the issue and would come up with its recommendations. "By the end of July, this report should be ready." After that, the State would send its recommendation but the final word would be that of Parliament.

Mr. Prasad said the Dausa incident could not be compared with what happened in West Bengal's Nandigram, "where the Communist Party of India (Marxist) cadres were involved in the violence."

He did not agree that the BJP's demand for the West Bengal Chief Minister's resignation and its rejection of the Congress plea for Ms. Raje stepping down were a case of double standards.

Senior BJP leader Sahib Singh Verma said: "I criticise the firing in the strongest words and demand a high-level inquiry."

Avoidable: Congress

The Congress on Tuesday said the loss of lives and injuries to people in various parts of Rajasthan was ``avoidable'' and regretted that the State machinery had neither anticipated nor prepared to cope with the emerging situation.

Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said maintenance of law and order and security was the cardinal duty of the State administration and the loss of so many lives was avoidable.

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