Jaipur: Finally, the Rajasthan government has given five per cent reservation to Gujjars. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gahlot's government gave the reservation to Gujjars under the Special Backward Classes (SBC) category without tampering with the quota for any other caste. But the move is already being questioned.
The Gehlot government has also announced the setting up of the Economic Backward Classes Commission to pacify upper castes who have been demanding 14 per cent reservation for themselves.
The State Cabinet also accepted the State Backward Caste Commission report. But the problem is that the reservation in the state is now 54 per cent, which is more than the Supreme Court stipulated 50 per cent limit. But the government's argument is that in the exceptional circustances the quota limit could be raised. The Supreme Court had also said in Indira Sahni case that in special circumstances, the limit can be increased.
The problem for the Rajasthan governmentis not related to the Gujjars only, but also the upper castes. The previous Vasundhara Raje government had passed a bill for 5 per cent reservation for Gujjars and 14 per cent reservation to upper castes, but since the total reservation limit would been more than 50 per cent, so the High Court had stayed its implementation.
The Gehlot government has now tried to kill two birds with one stone as it approved the formatiion of an Economic Commission for backward classes which will also consider 14 per cent reservation for the upper castes.
Rajasthan will elect a new Assembly in 2013 but the Gujjars are not happy with the state government's decision. Their grouse is that they were demanding the reservation under the limit of 50 per cent. The government is meeting Gujjar leaders to ascertain their views.
The government has also placed the OBC Commission report before the High Court which had asked for the details about the status of Gujjars for granting then reservation outside the 50 per cent limit.
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