M A I N   N E W S

Raje invites leaders for talks

Jaipur, May 30
In a bid to quell the agitation by Gurjars demanding Schedule Tribe status, the Rajasthan government today invited their representatives for talks to resolve the crisis in the wake of the violence that has left 14 persons dead so far.

A meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje after she returned from Delhi last night, decided to form a four-member ministerial team to hold dialogue with the Gurjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti leaders including Karnal Kirori Singh Bainsla, parliamentary affairs minister B.S. Rajawat said here.

The Gurjar leaders were contacted by officials over the phone to come for talks to resolve the issue, Rajawat said, maintaining that they had agreed to hold negotiations.

The meeting also reviewed the law and order situation which was tense, he said adding that step was being taken to end the spate of violence which had affected among others the districts of Dausa, Karauli and Bundi.

The BJP government has been working with a Cabinet sub- committee and district collectors to prepare a status report of the Gurjar community on the matter, he said.

Last week, home minister G.C. Kataria had held a meeting with Rajasthan Gurjar Mahasabha, another body of the community backed by BJP minister K.L. Gurjar, on the government's steps to resolve the quota issue, officials said, observing that the other faction went ahead with its plan to blockade highways as part of its 'chakka jam' agitation.

Before the initiative for talks taken by the Raje government, samiti chief Bhainsla told mediapersons in Dausa, "We only want that a recommendation letter be sent to the Centre on our demand. We will not withdraw our agitation until our demand is met.” — PTI

Call for Jaipur bandh today

Jaipur, May 30
The Gurjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti has called for a bandh tomorrow following 14 deaths in the violence over the Gurjars’ demand for ST status. — UNI