Dausa, April 21: The latest round of talks between Gujjars and the Rajasthan government broke down today after which community leaders threatened to continue their agitation till their demand for five per cent quota in state jobs was met.
The parleys, held in Jaipur, hit a roadblock on the recruitment drive issue and ended abruptly without arriving at an agreement on the quota and other demands of the Gujjars.
A furious Kirori Singh Bainsla, who is spearheading the agitation, warned of intensification of the stir to mount pressure on the state government for fulfilment of their demands.
The indefinite sit-in by Gujjars in varios parts of the state would continue, said Bainsla who along with other Gujjar leaders rushed back here from Jaipur this morning. He, however, added the protest would be peaceful. “It will be a Gandhian way of protest. We will not agitate on rail tracks and highways.”
Bainsla told the protesters the state government did not want to freeze the recruitment drive as desired by them. Another prominent Gujjar leader Roopsingh said “we will submit a representation to the committee set up by the state government at the behest of the High Court about our demands.”
He said Bainsla, after reaching here, was again called back to Jaipur for talks by the government, but no meeting was held to resolve the impasse.
Roopsingh, however, said “we will keep our option for talks open.”
The stalemate persisted as Bainsla remained adamant on his demand to halt the recruitment drive to be launched by the Ashok Gehlot government to fill up nearly 80,000 posts under the existing arrangement.
Complying with the High Court directive, the Rajasthan government had set up a seven-member committee, headed by retired High Court judge I S Irani, to examine all aspects of the Gujjar demand for quota in government jobs.
–PTI