National   

We welcome the outcome: Meenas

Special Correspondent

"It was not proper for Gujjars to demand that letter on ST status be sent to Centre"

— PHOTO: GOPAL SUNGER

CRISIS OVER: Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Kirori Singh Bainsla, leader of the Gujjars, addressing the media at the residence of the Chief Minister in Jaipur on Monday.

JAIPUR : Ministers belonging to the Meena community in the Vasundhara Raje Cabinet and other MLAs belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party and other parties including the Congress are jubilant at the outcome of Monday's talks between the Chief Minister and Gujjars.

The six-day-old agitation was called off following the talks.

While the talks were on, the Ministers and BJP MLAs from the community assembled at the official residence of Tribal Development Minister Kanakmal Katara threatening to resign en masse from the Assembly if the agreement between the Government and the protesting Gujjars included a letter recommending Scheduled Tribe status to that community.

"We welcome the outcome. The Chief Minister kept our sentiments in mind while negotiating with the Gujjars," Mr. Katara told The Hindu .

"In the first place, it was not proper for the Gujjar leadership to raise such unrealistic demands," he noted.

Two days ago Food and Civil Supplies Minister Kirorilal Meena and Minister of State for Finance Virendra Meena offered their resignations to BJP central leaders Gopinath Munde and Anant Kumar, warning against any "compromise" formula with Gujjars on ST status.

"The problem is over. Now everything will be all right," said BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar, who has been camping here for the past three days, said.

Compensation

Earlier, at the end of the talks with representatives of the Gujjar Arakshan Sangarsh Samiti (reservation struggle committee), Ms. Raje promised its leaders that she would "sympathetically" consider compensation payable to those who were injured during in the agitation.

Relatives of the dead would get Rs.5 lakh each as announced earlier, she told mediapersons. Twenty-five persons were killed in police firing and in violence.

Ms. Rajeoffered her condolences to the victims of police firing.

Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot dared Ms. Raje to hold an impartial enquiry into the developments in connection with the Gujjars' agitation.

"The Chief Minister is responsible for the loss of life and property within the State and outside," he said in a statement.

"In my opinion, the Bharatiya Janata Party in Rajasthan is the culprit." "I am happy about the Gujjar community agreeing to end the agitation at this juncture." However, had Ms. Raje not shown "this kind of neglect in carrying out her responsibilities and opted for talks initially", the loss of lives could have been avoided.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Gujjar agitation: rail services affected
Life miserable in Gujarat relief colonies: court panel
Gilgit part of J&K: JKLF
India, Brazil consolidate strategic ties
We welcome the outcome: Meenas
Entertainment tax not on language basis: apex court
Nehru award presented to Lula
Patil briefs CWC on Rajasthan situation
Indian water experts to visit PoK for inspection
Tax relief for senior citizens
NSF invites applications from students
Quattrocchi's extradition: status report filed

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu