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Rajasthan wants Gujjars under nomadic tribes

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Government proposes to write to the Centre soon asking for listing of Gujjars among the nomadic tribes. Indications are that the State, troubled over a violent agitation from the Gujjar community in the past eight months for classification as a Scheduled Tribe (ST), would adopt the Maharashtra pattern by setting aside a special quota of reservation for the de-notified tribes to wriggle out of the vexing situation.

“The Constitutional process of classifying any community as a tribe is a lengthy and creating a club of nomadic tribes would be an easy way out,” said Omprakash Mathur, the newly appointed State president of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“This would also make things easy for the Centre as it does not need to approach the SC/ST Commission for clearance,” he added.

Talking about the steps being taken by the State Government in the wake of the report of the Justice Jas Raj Chopra Committee which looked into the demand of the Gujjars, Mr. Mathur said a quota of 4-6 per cent could be set aside for Gujjars and other nomadic tribes in the State. A special package for the chronically backward areas inhabited by the Gujjars also was being readied.

This past weekend the party had convened a meeting of the members of the Gujjar community in the presence of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and the party in-charge for the State, Gopinath Munde, to discuss the package and the reservation formula.

“We have asked the party men to go to their community and make them understand the plans under way,” Mr. Mathur said.

Mr. Mathur expressed concern over the plight of the victims of the Burrabazar fire in Kolkata and said the State Government would do everything possible to help the affected persons most of whom originally hailed from the State.

The new executive of the State BJP would be announced soon, he informed.

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Rajasthan wants Gujjars under nomadic tribes

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