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BJP says it made no promise

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party said on Thursday that it had not promised the Scheduled Tribes status to the Gujjar community.

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: “We never promised ST status to Gujjars. It was not in our manifesto [for Rajasthan in 2003].” When it was pointed out that Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje — who was projected as CM in the 2003 Assembly elections —had made this promise in election meetings, Mr. Naqvi won’t agree. The BJP had made no commitment, he emphasised.

Mr. Naqvi, on the other hand, blamed the Centre for “throwing into the waste-paper basket” the suggestion that Gujjars be given a special reservation of 4 to 6 per cent — over and above the 50 per cent reservation to the Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Tribes, persons with disabilities and others — made by Ms. Raje in a letter to the Centre.

He did not respond when asked whether the Centre could give reservations above 50 per cent in view of the line drawn by the Supreme Court.

‘Caste politics’

Mr. Naqvi blamed the Congress for “adding fuel to the fire of the Gujjar agitation” and for “playing caste politics.” He was all praise for the Raje government for quickly dealing with the situation that arose after the Jaipur blasts and preventing any untoward incident. On the Gujjar agitation, he said: “She has appealed for peace and restoration of normalcy. She is ready for talks with the Gujjars.”

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