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Sacked MLAs allege Raje-Mayawati tie-up

JAIPUR: Gujjar MLAs Prahlad Gunjal and Attar Singh Bhadana, expelled from the Bahujan Samaj Party a day earlier, alleged on Monday a tacit understanding between Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati for the coming Assembly elections in the State.

The BSP could not be a friend of the Gujjar community, said the twosome, removed by the Bharatiya Janata Party some time back for their involvement in the Gujjar agitation demanding Scheduled Tribe status.

“Mayawati has joined hands with Raje. When I met her (Ms. Mayawati) last time I had told her that she lacked commitment to the Gujjar cause,” said Mr. Gunjal, accompanied by NCP leader and Delhi MLA Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, and Masood Choudhary, Vice-Chancellor of BGSB University, Rajouri. Both Mr. Bidhuri and Dr. Choudhary had participated in the talks between the Rajasthan Government and the Gujjar community here in June-July.

“I am with the community. We will ensure that the BJP which was instrumental in the deaths of so many Gujjar brothers in the past is thrown out of power in Rajasthan,” Mr. Gunjal said, adding that he was willing to fight the next election from Jalrapatan in Jhalawar, the Assembly seat now represented by Ms. Raje.

Interestingly, Mr. Gunjal and Mr. Bhadana were expelled by the BSP on charges of not raising the Gujjar issue properly and for hobnobbing with the BJP and the Congress.

Dungarram Gaider, the State president of the BSP, said the MLAs, even though being Gujjars, did not take up the cause of the community properly with the governments in Rajasthan and at the Centre. He charged them also with “misusing” the name of the party chief, Ms. Mayawati.

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