JAIPUR: An all-party meeting, attended by representatives of major political parties here on Thursday, appealed to those spearheading the Gujjar agitation to maintain peace and harmony in the interest of the State.

The meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, adopted a unanimous resolution that called upon the agitators and others to contribute to restorate normality and maintain law and order.

"The people have been facing difficulties for three days due to the agitation," it noted.

Ms. Raje, who read out the resolution to newspersons after the meeting, said Rajasthan, always known for social harmony and accord, had a tradition of peaceful public movements. However, the ongoing agitation had put the public to untold suffering.

Among others, Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria, BJP State president Mahesh Sharma, Pradesh Congress Committee president B.D. Kalla, Leader of the Opposition Ramnarain Chaudhary, CPI (M) MLA Amra Ram, and CPI leaders Tara Singh Siddhu and Dushyant Ojha attended the meeting.

Mr. Ram said the crisis intensified due to the "failure and obstinate stance" of the BJP-led Government, which believed in use of force than talking to agitators.

"The people's voice has been suppressed in 24 police firings across the State in the three years of BJP rule," he said.

While Ms. Raje left the press conference immediately after reading out the resolution, Mr. Kataria defended the Thursday police firing in Sawai Madhopur district, saying the violence perpetrated by Gujjars was "unprecedented" and could not be controlled by any other measure.

"The agitators are attacking policemen, setting ablaze police stations, court buildings and Government offices and damaging public property. This scale of violence has never been witnessed in Rajasthan since Independence," he said, adding that in this situation, there was no alternative but to use force.

While admitting that talks with a delegation of Gujjars invited to Jaipur had broken down, Mr. Kataria expressed the hope that "something positive" would emerge in more rounds of negotiations.

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