The Hindu : New Delhi News : Gujjars threaten nationwide stir

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 19, 2007
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New Delhi

Gujjars threaten nationwide stir

Staff Reporter

BJP backtracked on its promise and betrayed the people: Bidhuri

— Photo: S. Subramanium

STICKING TO THEIR GUNS: Gujjar leader Ramvir Singh Bidhuri (right) handing over a memorandum to BJP president Rajnath Singh in connection with the Rajasthan Gujjars’ reservation issue in New Delhi on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: With the Rajasthan Government declaring on Tuesday that the Chopra Committee report had rejected the Gujjars’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status in the State, the All India Gujjar Sangharsh Samiti has threatened a nationwide agitation to protest against this “betrayal” by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against the community in both Rajasthan and Delhi.

Reacting to the announcement, the chief patron of the Samiti, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, who had earlier in the day led a delegation to BJP president Rajnath Singh urging him to make the contents of the report public, said: ``We had been promised by the BJP at the time of the Assembly elections in Rajasthan that they would give ST status to the Gujjars on coming to power. But they backtracked on the promise and have betrayed the people.”

High-level meeting

Mr. Bidhuri said the Samiti would be convening a high-level meeting in Delhi to discuss the latest development and cautioned that it would urge members of the Gujjar community all over the country to vote against the BJP if the party does not accord ST status to the Gujjars in Rajasthan.

Impact on elections

“The impact would be felt in both the Assembly elections and the General Elections,” he said, adding that the community that is represented among Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs alike has a wide presence across the country.

Earlier in the day, the delegation led by Mr. Bidhuri urged the BJP president to direct the Rajasthan government led by his party to send a favourable recommendation to the Centre for conferring ST status on Gujjars.

BJP cautioned

It also urged him to take up the matter with Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundra Raje Scindia directly so that the “legitimate demand” of the Gujjars was fulfilled. The delegation cautioned that any adverse recommendation from the Rajasthan government would prove fatal for the BJP in all future elections.

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