On Wednesday, hopes of reaching a deal with the Gujjar community over their demand for reservation received a setback as the Jaipur High Court instructed state authorities to “immediately clear” highways and railway tracks.
Key railway lines and highways have been blocked by Gujjar protestors demanding 5 per cent reservation in government jobs.
Why are the Gujjars, who are already eligible for reservations in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota, demanding this further segregation?
The Quint decodes the Gujjar agitation.
Jats Hogging the OBC Pie
The upper limit for reservation in government jobs in Rajasthan is 50 per cent. Currently, 21 per cent of seats are reserved for OBCs, 16 per cent for SCs and 12 per cent for STs bringing the total to 49 per cent.
From 2006 onwards, Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla has led a movement demanding that 5 per cent of seats from within the OBC quota be carved out out for Gujjars. In other words, Gujjars want a quota within the existing reservation for OBCs.
Jats, often a land-owning caste, already take away a lion’s share of jobs under the OBC quota. They also enjoy considerable political clout in the State Assembly, with 32 MLAs. The Gujjars have about 1/4th of that number. Any change in the reserved seats available to the Jats is likely to have political and electoral consequences that successive state governments have tried to avoid.
Protests, Violence, Courts
In 2007, following protests and inter-caste violence CM Vasundhara Raje had agreed to the Gujjars’ 5 per cent reservation demand. The subsequent Congress government also offered the same package but the demand was challenged in court. The High Court put a stay on the government’s order because the new category took the number of reserved seats beyond the 50 per cent limit.
As a part of their protests, Gujjars have blocked the Delhi-Jaipur, Jaipur-Agra and Delhi-Mumbai road and rail routes sporadically for the last nine years..
In 2008, the protests turned violent. On May 23, 2008 police fired at protesters, killing at least 15 people on the spot.
What to Expect
While the Gujjars do have prominent political faces, most notably Sachin Pilot, no government in Rajasthan can afford to alienate the politically significant Jat community.
The latest High Court order hasn’t helped matters much. The great fear now is a repeat of the 2008 violence, specially if the police and armed forces try to ‘clear’ the protestors.
Meanwhile, key road and rail routes remain blocked affecting both passenger and freight traffic.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)