Scores of computer operators from Rajasthan, claiming to be members of Gram Panchayat E-Mitra Sanchalak Sangh Samiti, reached Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad following it up with a sit-in protest outside Gujarat Congress office in Ahmedabad Saturday over a series of their demands. The union claimed that 11,341 e-Mitra plus operators, who sit at gram panchayat offices in Rajasthan have been repeatedly raising several demands such as payment of honorarium for their work, including the dues in arrears, and their demands have not been heeded to by the Congress government in Rajasthan. The union threatened that they will campaign against Congress in the upcoming Gujarat elections and stop the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra if their demands remain unheeded to. Some of the union members, in protest against Rajasthan government’s inaction, took out a ‘Dandi March’ from Palanpur on October 2, with the protesting union members reaching Ahmedabad on Saturday. Sitaram Kumavat, state vice-president of the union told the Indian Express, “We have been repeatedly making representations to Rajasthan government authorities but there has been no response. Given that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot as well as Rajasthan MLA Raghu Sharma are observers appointed by Congress for Gujarat elections, we decided to come to Gujarat with our demands. If our demands continue to remain unheeded, we will campaign against Congress for the upcoming Gujarat elections. If they still continue to not address our demands, we will stop and agitate against the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra. We are not politically motivated, we only care about our demands.” Kumavat added that the union has applied for police permission to continue protesting outside the Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan in Ahmedabad, which is the Gujarat Congress headquarter. “Given that Ashok Gehlotji is the observer, we assume he must be coming to Gujarat soon. We will continue protesting in Gujarat until then,” added Kumavat. Meanwhile, Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said, “This is a BJP-motivated protest to distract from Gujarat’s own issues concerning the Village Computer Entrepreneurs (VCEs) who are the equivalent of Rajasthan’s e-Mitras.”
