This story is from November 24, 2017

Government mulls giving 1% additional reservation to Gujjars, 4 others

Government mulls giving 1% additional reservation to Gujjars, 4 others
JAIPUR: Caught between the Supreme Court (SC) order of 50% cap on reservation and the Gujjar community’s ultimatum on how the government plans to give it the promised 5% quota by November 29, a high-level committee met at the residence of chief minister Vasundhara Raje to review the situation on Thursday.
Sources in the government said the meeting came around to the idea of giving Gujjars, and four other communities, the 1% reservation available within the 50% limit while retaining them within the OBC category till the dispute is settled by the high court.
This formula was adopted in the past also without any legal hurdles.
Currently, the overall reservation in the state is 49%, so the government can give 1% additional reservation to these five communities, as was done by the previous Congress government. Though it may not satisfy the Gujjars, the government feels it could pacify them for the time being under the given circumstances.
The government has been left with little leeway on how to fulfill the 5% quota promised to Gujjars during the Suraj Sankalp Yatra. Sources in the government said the advocate general and the law secretary have been asked to find a legal way out.
Officials privy to the discussions said the government would now focus on finding a solution within the 50% ceiling. However, it is unlikely that the government would accede to the demand of 5% reservation for Gujjars within the 21% OBC quota as they don’t want to antagonize the Jats, the dominant caste within the OBC, when assembly elections in the state are fast approaching.
“Already the Gujjars are feeling let down and the government does not want to ruffle the feathers of Jats by bifurcating the OBC quota,” said a source. However, as an immediate solution, the meeting discussed the earlier formula of giving 1% extra reservation to Gujjars and the four other communities under the ‘more backward classes’ while retaining them within the OBC.
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