Gurjars intensify agitation after talks fail, commuters affected

Pressing for 5 per cent reservation in the OBC quota, Gurjars on Sunday intensified their agitation by blocking highways in parts of Rajasthan and threatening to expand it across the state as they alleged that the state government had failed to offer any concrete proposal to meet their demand.

The community members, who started the renewed agitation on Thursday by disrupting rail traffic, blocked the Agra-Jaipur National Highway 11 at Sikandara in Dausa and Sawaimadhopur-Sheopur state highway in Khandar area of Sawaimadhopur district, a day after their talks ended in a deadlock.

The stir was launched on Thursday in Bharatpur with community members blocking the Delhi-Mumbai rail tracks in Pilukapura, which has affected many trains. Several trains have been cancelled or partially cancelled while others were diverted causing inconvenience to the passengers. Representatives of the Gurjar community and the Rajasthan government met on Saturday but the meeting ended in a deadlock as the community leaders accused the government of not coming up with concrete proposal to fulfill their demand of 5 per cent quota in government jobs.

"The talks failed because the ministers came without any clear proposal to address our demands," Gurjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla told reporters on Saturday. Rajasthan minister Rajendra Rathore said another round of meeting is expected on Monday in Jaipur. However, Gurjar leaders did not confirm whether they would attend the meeting and returned to the agitation venue after the meeting.

"We are intensifying the agitation after the government failed to offer any concrete plan to provide the community five per cent reservation under the legal limit of 50 per cent. Similar agitations would also be launched in other parts of the state if the government does not fulfill our demand," Himmat Singh, spokesperson of the Gurjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti said.