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Some Gujjar leaders moving close to BSP

JAIPUR: A section of Gujjar leaders on Tuesday indicated their intention to lead the community, fighting for Scheduled Tribe status, to the Bahujan Samaj Party camp.

There were also reports that at least one of them, Prahlad Gunjal, MLA, expelled from the Bharatiya Janata Party some time back, has joined the BSP though Mr. Gunjal himself wants to put it as the Gujjar community’s decision.

The official group, the Gujjar Arakshan Sangarsh Samiti (the Gujjar reservation agitation committee), led by Kirori Singh Bainsla has termed the move an attempt to “mislead” the community and a “conspiracy” at the instance of a group of BJP leaders. “The systematic attempts made by certain groups in the past to defeat the Gujjar movement now stand exposed,” said Col. Bainsla in a statement.

Even as the BJP rebel MLAs, Mr. Gunjal and Attar Singh Bhadana, during a “mahapadav” (gathering) of Gujjars under the banner of Sanyukt Gujjar Arakashan Sangarsh Samiti here during the day, announced their decision to invite Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati to Patoli village, the site of police firing on Gujjars on May 29, the first anniversary, Col. Bainsla’s supporters removed the two-some from “Nirnayak Mandal”, the supreme decision-making committee of the movement.

“They have done political bargaining with the Gujjar community’s interests and violated the conditions of unity agreed upon by various leaders on February 4,” said a statement from Devki Nandan “Kaka”, convener of Gujjar Ekta Samanvay Samiti. “Both Mr. Gunjal and Mr. Bhadana have done it at the instance of the BJP. The decision to join the BSP is not a community decision,” he said.

Ms. Mayawati, during her recent visit here to address a rally, had extended her party’s support to the Gujjars’ demand for ST status. The importance she gave to the strategy to catch Gujjars -- leaving behind the small base she had built up in the Meena pockets in the past -- was evident from the fact that three members of her Council of Ministers --Lakshminarayan Choudhary, Anand Kumar Misra and Lucky Ram -- were present at the day’s “mahapadav”.

“The decision to veer towards the BSP is from the community. We had invited both the Congress and BJP leaders too for the mahapadav and nobody turned up. Ms. Mayawati has been positive to our demand while Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is only showing her stubbornness. The Congress attitude too has been negative. Now the only option with the community is to boycott these parties in the coming Assembly elections,” said Mr. Gunjal talking to The Hindu. “We have invited Ms. Mayawati to Patoli on May 29 on the occasion of martyrs’ day,” he said.

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