A tale of two Bills

The Gujjar agitation of 2007 in Rajasthan, which left more than 70 dead, had led to the then Vasundhara Raje-led government bringing a single Bill, providing for additional quotas in jobs and educational institutions. That Bill, passed in 2008, envisaged a 19 per cent quota - five per cent for Gujjars and 14 per cent for the economically weaker sections of the upper castes. But the Rajasthan High Court stayed the Raje government's move. The Gujjars again agitated for their demand after the Raje-led government again came to power in 2013-end. The government expressed its inability to meet their demand, reminding them of the previous experience. However, on this occasion, the Gujjar leadership was armed with a solution. It suggested that two separate Bills - one providing five per cent reservation for Gujjars and another for the economically weaker sections - be passed. It believed that one of the two Bills, specifically the one relating to a quota for Gujjars, would be passed. The next few months will tell if that tactic succeeds.