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.

“This is apart from a huge public meeting in Delhi in which 20 lakh Gurjjars will participate. We will even launch jail-bharo andolans,” stated a Gurjjar leader, Sukhbirsingh Jaunpuria. “We don’t want false promises. We want the state government to finish all the formalities by (the end of the three months) and send the Centre a letter of recommendation for Gurjjars to be included in the ST category,” he added.

Jainpuria also felt that the state government should resign on moral grounds for the violence and destruction that happened during the Gurjjar agitation. He demanded that a murder case be filed against policemen who fired at the Gurjjar protesters, and a probe be ordered into it. The relatives of the dead should be provided government jobs, Jainpuria said.

Another leader said that there was no dearth of money or people willing to sacrifice for the agitation. “We will ensure that the agitation ends only when the Gurjjars here get reservation. The next agitation would be so strong that it will change the map of this state,” he warned.

In his speech, Bainsla asked the Gurjjars to let him work for the next three months, adding that at the end of it, they were free to do as they wished. He also said the best tribute to the people who died in the police firing would be to get the reservation and ensure that their sons or daughters became IAS or IPS officers.

Bainsla swore that he would never be a part of any party nor stand in any election. “Nor am I interested in any money. I am not going to touch any of the financial help that has arrived from other states and I insist it be handed over to the victims’ families directly,” said the Gurjjar leader.

Gurjjars from across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and other states of north India attended the mahapanchayat. Most of them pitched in with financial help for victims of the police firing, and it was announced that over Rs 1 crore would be given to their families.

Also present at the mahapanchayat were suspended BJP MLAs Prahlad Gunjal and Attarsingh Bhadana. Both lashed out at the state Government, claiming that Raje had assured them during the last Assembly elections that Gurjjars would get reservation.

“When we realised that she and the party were going against her word, we decided to stand in support of our community. Now we are soldiers of Lt Col Bainsla and will follow only his instructions,” stated Bhadana.