Cheered on by the 70,000-plus crowd gathered from several states for the Gurjjar Mahapanchayat here, Lt Col Kirori Singh Bainsla today warned the Rajasthan Government that it had “three months and three days” to submit a report on the community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. “From the fourth day on, you will be incharge,” he told the people, making it clear that the Gurjjars were ready for another, longer agitation.

The meeting lasted six hours, and the people had to sit through highly humid conditions followed by unexpected showers. But when Bainsla, who was the last speaker, rose to address the crowd, he received a rousing reception.

The mahapanchayat had been called by the Gurjjars to decide their course of action following the compromise reached between the community and the Vasundhara Raje Government on June 4.

Unlike the last mahapanchayat, Congress leader Sachin Pilot was present. He is the MP from Dausa, which was the hotbed of the Gurjjar agitation. He insisted that the movement was totally non-political and he was a part of it being a Gurjjar. Pilot also urged the community to continue the agitation without violence.

“Whatever happened was unfortunate, and now is the time to be strong and continue the agitation non-violently. We will put forward our demand with all governments, be it the state or the Centre, but we need to do it without disrupting peace,” stated Pilot.

It was announced at the meeting that the Gurjjars will hold condolence meetings for those who died in police firing on the first day of the agitation (May 29) from June 29 to July 4. Public meetings will be held across several states and districts of Rajasthan as part of an awareness campaign while two mahasabhas will be held in Jhalawar (Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s constituency) and Dholpur in August.

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