Gujjars reject govt offer of exempting Act from jud review

Jaipur, Jan 3 (PTI) Agitating Gujjar leaders in the
West Indian state of Rajasthan on Monday rejected a government
offer to give immunity to a law on reservation to them from
judicial review as the talks between the two sides failed to
end the deadlock over the quota issue.
Both the sides said they will meet again on Tuesday
for the fifth round of parleys after the Gujjars insisted that
the government should bring in a fresh legislation for
providing the community five per cent reservation in state
jobs.
A committee of ministers said the Gujjar team was in
agreement with government's proposals on a majority of issues
to end the 15-day impasse but no consensus could be achieved
on the five per cent reservation demand.
The government proposed to the agitators its readiness
to include an act on the issue under the IX Schedule of the
constitution to exempt it from judicial review but the Gujjars
turned down the offer demanding passing of a new bill in the
legislative assembly to accord five per cent reservation to
Gujjar, Gadia Lohar, Banjara and Rebari communities.
The Rajasthan High Court had on December 22 stayed the
operation of the act and directed the state government to
undertake a quantifiable data collection exercise within one
year to justify the quota for members of the community.
"The meeting was held in cordial manner. Out of around
12 points, both the sides were able to reach a consensus on
around nine points leaving behind the issue of five per cent,"
state Home Minister Shanti Dhariwal, member of the committee
told reporters after the meeting.
"We have asked them that the government would get the
reservation act included in IX Schedule of the Constitution,"
he said.
"Now we are going to brief Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot
on the meeting and the next round of talks would take place
tomorrow. The delegation will also apprise their community
about the outcome of the meeting," he said.
Dhariwal said the government assured the leaders that
the pending cases of government jobs to the kin of those
killed during previous stirs, pension to the disabled and
compensation to the injured will be looked into.
"A committee will examine the criminal cases against
the agitators and will decide sympathetically on their
withdrawal issue," the minister said.