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Journalism of Courage
Months before the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, a Rajput outfit on Sunday demanded an increase in the reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) from 10 per cent to 14 per cent at a “Kesariya Mahapanchayat” in Jaipur. The Mahapanchayat was organised by the Shree Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena (SRRKS).
“We want our rights. This gathering is not political but this Kesariya Mahapanchayat has been convened to demand from the government the rights of our youth. We demand that the EWS reservation be increased from 10 per cent to 14 per cent and that the state government constitute a Kshatriya Rajput Kalyan Board. The Central government should relax the conditions of EWS reservation in Central government recruitment,” said SRRKS national president Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi.
“We want a relaxation of five years in age and also similar relaxations in educational qualifications when it comes to the EWS category, as is available to other reserved categories. Our ancestors have always sacrificed for this country and the Hindu religion,” said Gogamedi.
Among those in attendance were BJP MP from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Raghuraj Singh, MoS in the Uttar Pradesh government.
“The government said that the Rajput men who helped the police nab the assailants of Kanhaiya Lal will be awarded government jobs. What happened to that promise? Do you want us to protest with lakhs of community members?” said Gogamedi.
The Gogamedi-led SRRKS is one of the two major Karni Senas in Rajasthan, the other being the Shree Rajput Karni Sena (SRKS). During the time of the previous BJP government, both the Karni Senas had protested against the BJP — a party traditionally supported by Rajputs — over issues such as the encounter of gangster Anandpal Singh and the sidelining of Rajput leaders such as former Union minister Jaswant Singh by former chief minister Vasundhara Raje.
At the Kesariya Mahapanchayat held on Sunday, the Karni Sena paid tribute to Rajput leader Lokendra Singh Kalvi, who died recently. The Mahapanchayat was the latest among a string of caste Mahapanchayats. Earlier, Jat and Brahmin communities had held similar events at the same venue near the Vidhyadhar Nagar stadium.
As the event by Karni Sena was in progress, another mahapanchayat was held in Jaipur by the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities.
