Gujjars wait for SC decision over quota

Threaten fresh agitation if let down by court

The Gujjar community, which is not very happy with Rajasthan government’s decision to accord five per cent reservation under Special Backward Castes to five communities including the Gujjars outside the Other Backward Classes quota, has decided to follow a wait and watch policy.

Now, the reservation in the state is set to reach 54 per cent, exceeding the 50 per cent cap stipulated by the Supreme Court.

The Gujjars, who are already in the Other Backward Classes  (OBC) have been demanding a special five per cent quota carved out of the OBC quota of 21 per cent so that the reservation will remain within the constitutionally permitted limit. However, Jats, a powerful community in the OBC has opposed the proposal.

A meeting was held on Thursday at the residence of Gujjar leader Col Kirori Singh Bainsla at Hindoun in Karouli district to take stock of the situation.

According to Gujjar leaders, they will wait for two months and if the decision finds favour with the Supreme Court they will welcome it.

And if the Supreme Court strikes down the government’s decision again then the community would be left with no option but to embark on the path of agitation again, the leaders added.

It may be noted that the Supreme Court had earlier struck down the decision of the then BJP government which first come up with five per cent special reservation for the Gujjars and other four nomadic communities and 14 per cent reservation for the economically backward groups following the Gujjar agitation.

However, this time the government and Gujjar leaders seem quite optimistic that since the contentious 14 per cent quota for the economically backward has been separated from the five per cent

quota earmarked for the Gujjars, the court may take a liberal view of an excess of four per cent over the 50 per cent quota cap.

Gujjar Arakshan Sangarh Samiti spokesman Dr Roop Singh said over phone “the leaders neither opposed the decision nor welcomed it.”

“We have decided to wait for two months. The meeting decided to seek legal opinion on the sustainability of the decision.”

“A maha panchayat will be later on called to decide the future course of action based on the emerging situation,” Singh added.

However he said no date of the maha panchayat has been decided.   
He said the Gujjar leaders thanked the OBC commission for justifying the claim for a separate quota considering its backwardness.