The Gurjar agitation in Rajasthan for ST status was the topic of discussion on the IBNLive chatroom on Thursday, May 31, when Bhupendra Chaubey, Chief Political Correspondent of CNN-IBN, fielded readers' queries from across the spectrum in a live chat running into an hours.
Here we reproduce the entire chat with no editorial touch at all:-
V Rathan: Whether it’s Gujarat, MP or Rajasthan, your channel seems to be attacking the BJP. You are soft on states ruled by the UPA alliance.
Bhupendra: We have just done a story exposing how the Congress MLAs in Goa were selling land to the Russian mafia.
Prashy: Don’t you think Vasundhara Raje didn’t have any inside chance of settling this issue as it involves the role of the Central Government? And also what do you think about Sachin Pilot, who has mindlessly resorted to criticism the BJP Government? Haven’t he and his father been unofficial Gurjar representative from Rajasthan for decades? Why didn’t he request the UPA Government to include the Gurjars in ST list? I think this is a well-fed conspiracy to wean away BJP’s Gurjar supporters in Gujarat?
Bhupendra: In 1951, a commission was set up to look into this demand for reservation for Gurjars. Successive governments have dilly-dallied on this topic. That’s why this anger has manifested itself in this form.
[email protected]: I stay in Amsterdam. I recently visited Rajasthan and was really impressed by the overall improvement I saw from my last visit four years back. I have also read stories about the attitude of psycophancy of Raje’s ministers and the recent riots. But these happenings are an aberration. So how do we actually judge our ministers? Do we as a country really have a mechanism? A system of recalling our representatives would really help, I guess!
Bhupendra: You are talking about something which I think can never work in our country. Recalling representatives is an idea, which has been floated but not yet implemented. Rajasthan may have developed economically, but what about its social fabric?
lbr: You think Vasundhara Raje is being dumped by her own party?
Bhupendra: She is facing trouble from her own men, without doubt.
Sateesh: She is concentrating more on personnel glorification rather than law and order and development, isn't it?
Bhupendra: Not entirely true. Her basic problem is that her own party men are today against her.
Akshay23: Bhupendra, do you think that the BSP, in forthcoming elections, can cause damage to the BJP and Congress if it plays it cards well on this issue ?
Bhupendra: Could be. Quite possible.
Sandeep Kumar: Don't you feel, the major issue here is that all political parties are going for shortcut populist measures? The issue seems simple: If X can get a status, why not Y?
Bhupendra: Populism is a bane of Indian politics. It’s a problem.
Rayees Nakhiwala: Why did the Home Minister justify the police action on Gurjar protestors? Was that the only option to solve the problem?
Bhupendra: He couldn’t have done anything else, could he? As Home Minister, he himself should be willing to take responsibility for this.
Abhishek Agrawal: If the Rajasthan Govt gives OBC status to Gurjars, then what about the other communities like the Jats, Meenas etc etc who would also demand similar reservations? Don't you think that the UPA Government has again opened a can of worms? Also this problem is not state specific. Your comments.
Bhupendra: Yes this problem is not state specific. But in the context of Rajasthan, it has to be understood that different castes and different communities have always wanted more reservations. The Jats already have reservations. It has to be questioned whether these communities really need reservations.
Navin: The media and the educated community agree that reservation is bad for the country? Don't you think that the media — both print and electronic — should back the Rajsthan Government by highlighting the demerits of reservations rather than the CM’s failure to control the situation?
Bhupendra: The media doesn’t say that reservations are bad for the country. The CM failed to gauge the situation, hence the problem.
Ismail Shaikh: What will be that one very important question you will ask Mrs Raje (CM) when you interview her in the near future?
Bhupendra: Are you a chief minister or are you a Maharani?
Brijesh: What could be the end of the whole issue?
Bhupendra: First the violence must come down.
Srini: Hello Bhupen, good to see that you have covered the Gurjar protests and its aftermath. Don't you think this was the fallout of the OBC status being given to the Jats by the erstwhile BJP dispensation? And why haven't you folks given equal coverage to the Sriganganagar protests by peasants?
Bhupendra: We did cover Sriganganagar protests as well. Yes, the trouble started when the Jats were given the OBC status.
Aks: Hi Bhupendra, I follow CNN-IBN very closely, especially the political coverage. On CNN-IBN only few months back, Vasundhara Raje had given a very impressive and convincing interview about the economic development of Rajasthan on Devil’s Advocate with Karan Thapar. But recently, Rajasthan has been in news for very disturbing reasons. In fact, if we go by reports there has been 12 instances of such firing during her tenure as CM. Is she a completely failed CM or arrogant to handle the sophisticated issues or is she a poor administrator with rich political legacy?
Bhupendra: Completely failed CM or arrogant to handle the sophisticated issues or a poor administrator with rich political legacy? A bit of everything actually. Her administration skills are now being questioned seriously by people.
Tarun: Do you think the CM or police are responsible for the death of 17 people?
Bhupendra: I would say the police. Killings of people cannot be justified.
Murali: Mr Bhupendra, when will this politicians realise? Why do they provoke people? Why do they divide people in the name of caste and religion? There are so many small kids who don’t have proper food, clean drinking water, primary education. Just naming a programme on PM’s name or some leader’s name will not provide these things. I hope media like yours will project these basic things, which is needed. Make politicians realise that the power they have is to solve people problems not incite people.
Bhupendra: Yes Murali, we do that. You are right that our politicians are still thinking in terms of populist policies. But look at it this way, the two chief ministers who look at themselves as reformers are both on sticky wickets. Chandrababu Naidu called himself the CEO of Andhra. He lost the elections. Sheila Dikshit did a lot for Delhi. She lost the civic elections. Could well lose Delhi too. In India, political success can be achieved only with a fine balance of populism and pragmatism.
Hi: Bhupendra, if you say the CM has failed, then what about the PM? Ain’t he the Prime Minister of the whole country?
Bhupendra: It’s an unfair comparison.
Ragupathi: The violence in Rajasthan over the Gurjar issue only goes to prove that people are discontented with governments which appear to listen to only the rich and the powerful. Why can’t the CM reach out to the people on TV and pacify them instead of letting things go out of hand.
Bhupendra: Bang on. I entirely agree with you.
Sunil Kumar: I am really impressed with the grit and unity shown by the Gurjars. Now tell me if other castes like Jats, Kurmis etc start behaving in the same way by demanding ST/OBC status, how do u think our politicians will react to it?
Bhupendra: Yes and that is the problem. You do something for one community and then it becomes a precedent of sorts for everyone else.
Amit: Do you think Vasundhara Raje is an effective CM?
Bhupendra: She is effective to the extent that she controlled the saffronisation in her state.
Karan Sachar: But my fear is if this issue snowballs and spreads to other states, then many more communities will follow the Gurjar style protests. Is it fair?
Bhupendra: Not fair at all. Imagine what could happen if in the neighbouring states too different communities start asking for reservations.
PAGE_BREAK
Pranav: Hello sir, I am a ninth class student and I wanted to ask you that don’t you think that the demand of the Gurjars is too much considering the fact that they are so large in numbers.
Bhupendra: It’s not just their numbers, the Gurjars are also pretty well of in Rajasthan. They don't need reservation. The trouble is reservations in our country are now a political tool. So everyone makes use of them.
Harikrajeev: Is this incident just the beginning? More and more religious groups will now come forward with similar demands. Do you think so?
Bhupendra: Well, if they are given reservations, then it could be a huge problem without doubt.
Arupratan: Hi Bhupendra, do you think that giving reservation to a particular community can pave their way to upliftment?
Bhupendra: Yes, reservations for a community which has been historically discriminated against can help in the upliftment of their status.
Amishi: This entire episode seems stage-managed. The Congress party is trying to woo the vote banks to win elections and by giving a title like this, you are only adding fuel to the fire. No right-thinking person will believe it has anything to do with Vasundhara Raje. Don’t you think the Congress is only creating a caste-based society to gather votes?
Bhupendra: It’s a strong possibility that the Congress could be behind this. It’s also an equally strong possibility that members of her own party, the BJP, could be behind this.
Anand: I really agree with you Bhupendra. She is doing a bad job at the moment. What do you think these incidents will do the image of our country?
Bhupendra: Anand, we have seen so many instances of similar kinds. Why do you think all this happens? Don’t think that people who are involved in all this give a damn about the image of the country.
Shefali: Why does the PM is not commenting on the present condition? I feel sorry to see that moral values in politics are sinking day by day. Queen Raje is not willing to meet poor the Gurjars!
Bhupendra: The PM is wondering whether he will go down in history as the first serving Prime Minister who didn’t get projected as the Prime Minister at time of next elections.
PAGE_BREAK
Mahendra: Hi Bhupen, this is Mahendra. Do you think that this movement is politically motivated as it has risen after three years of the Raje Government coming in power?
Bhupendra: Without doubt, there is a bit of politics involved in this whole problem.
Shefali: Helli Bhupendra, is the Central Government sleeping?
Bhupendra: The Central government is reluctant to take a stand because the state of Rajasthan goes to polls next year. Any stand they take now could work against them then.
Suryaa: What’s the tradeoff you would suggest? Give into Gurjars and risk the wrath of the Meenas and Jats or generally fool around without doing anything?
Bhupendra: The bottom line is that she has to engage them. If she had been talking to them throughout, the situation wouldn’t have gone so bad.
Nitin: Why are Gurjars fighting?
Bhupendra: Because they want reservations. Not just that, in the caste-driven polity of Rajasthan, they are numerically, socially and economically at a disadvantage in comparison to the Jats or the Meenas.
Pawan: Bhupendra, do you have the support for Raje after his achievement? She needs media.
Bhupendra: Media’s job is to highlight what she is doing now. At the moment, she is doing a bad job.
Vishnu Teja Mudiam: Why every one wants the 'backward' tag in this country?
Bhupendra:Because it’s the easiest way of getting the benefits of reservations.
Nish: Do you think her image as a ‘royal CM’ adds fuel to the fire in Rajasthan?
Bhupendra: Absolutely. Someone who behaves and lives like a Maharani cannot be expected to do well in Indian politic. Her chiffon sarees and Ray Ban glasses made more headlines than any good work that she must have done.
Vengat from Oman/Muscat: Are we going to see a peaceful solution to this in the near future? Because the violence has gone beyond the control of the people and also the government?
Bhupendra: Quite possible. I think things will cool down. She is now willing to talk to the protesters.
Rajnath: I think Vasundhara is not knowing how to play smart. Reddy announced 5 pc reservation for Muslims in AP knowing fully well that the Supreme Court will reject it in the first hearing as there is no provision in our Constitution to provide reservations on the basis of religion. But Reddy went on with it so that he can go to the Muslims and tell them that I did for you but the SC rejected it. The same should have been applied by Vasundhara.
Bhupendra: There is a difference between Reddy and Vasundhara. If she takes this step, then she will be left high and dry by other communities. The point to understand is why do Gurjars or Jats need reservations. It’s actually a misuse of government provisions.
Mahalingam: Coming in the backdrop of portraying her as Mata (for which Mrs Jaswant Singh also made a protest), is the CM being continuously haunted by the Opposition or is it politics within the party?
Bhupendra: She is being haunted not just by the Congress, but also by her own partymen. She thought she will keep the RSS at bay in Rajasthan. But if you are in BJP, you can’t do that. See what happened to LK Advani. He got caught in the Jinnah trap and ended up losing his job as BJP president.
[email protected]: Why is it such that CMs of Indian states are mostly caught napping before such situations get out of hand?
Bhupendra: See from Nandigram to Punjab to Orrisa to Rajasthan, the common thread is that the administration knew what was to come. The political class often fails to engage its citizens. That’s why such problems occur.
Sumit Verawal: Didn't the BJP promise the Gurjars ST status before the elections? Why did they do so if they were not to do anything about it?
PAGE_BREAK
Bhupendra: That’s true. Vasundhara had promised the Gurjars the ST status in the runup to the elections. The problem is that if she gives them ST status, she will also have to accommodate the needs of the other powerful communities, like the Meenas. They are also gunning for a similar deal.
Ram Lal: Why a state machine with all the power cannot control a mob of few thousands?
Bhupendra: The state doesn’t want to be seen as killers. Why do you think a Nandigram happens? The state knew about the reality. Here too, the state knew that this kind of a protest was going to take place. Yet they lost the plot.
Dipesh: What do you think, will the BJP come into power in 2009 election ?
Bhupendra: It’s an open game, Dipesh. See the Congress came to power not on its own, but because it had a better alliance. If the BJP can also come up with a good alliance, then it has a chance. The days of a single party making it on its own are over.
Parthasaradhi: Are politicians motivating the people to go on strike for reservations?
Bhupendra: Not true. This is not bashing of Chief Minister or anything. This is just an expression of truth.
Anish: Hi Bhupen, this is Anish from Bangalore. Do u feel that just by this one rare incident, we can gauge the performance of the Rajasthan CM?
Bhupendra: Sure, this could be an exception. But she has been finding herself on the wrong side for a long time now. There have been four cases of police firing in the last one year. Her own partymen are against her. Every two months, there is a delegation of BJP MLAs who come to Delhi asking for her resignation as chief minister.
The problem is that you can’t be a chief minister who believes in leading a life like a Maharani. You got to get your hands dirty. In Indian politics, you can’t be walking down the ramp and be the chief minister that too from the BJP, in the same coin.
Vengat: Hi Bhupen, I would like to put the question to the people who agitating there. Is this the way to get things done? I feel there are other means in this world like Gandhigiri.
Bhupendra: Gandhigiri is good on screen, Venkat. But this is real life. Of course there is no justification for this kind of violence. The problem is that the Gurjar community today feels left out from the distribution of the power pie in Rajasthan.
Gurmeet: Is Vasundhara Raje not able to see what's happening in the state and can't she simply act to stop the ongoing violence? Why so much political statements and all that? What will a common man do in this political environment?
Bhupendra: Look at the entire situation a little differently. Who are the people who are fomenting all this violence? Is it just the Gurjars? Is there something more to it? The protesters are also political activists in many ways. That’s why she is finding it difficult to control them.
Also she is in no position to fulfill their demands. If she does, she runs the risk of alienating the other powerful communities, like the Meenas, which is thrice the size of the Gurjars in Rajasthan. She is caught in this bind of how to accommodate both the Meenas and the Gurjars. Hence, the problem. Rajasthan is one of the most politically backward states.
Arun Chandra: Why is she not willing to have a meeting with the protesters?
Bhupendra: She is wrong. She should have met them by now. The problem is that she doesn’t want to be seen as someone who is giving in to the demands of those who are creating trouble.
Derek: In your opinion has Vasundhara Raje been gripped by the arrogance of power like it happened to the BJP leaders at the Centre? Does she need to come down to earth and see the ground realities?
Bhupendra: I won’t call it arrogance. But I think what has happened is that she has now become a bit distant from her people and her own partymen. She tried to create a state where the RSS had little role.
Now, she is having to pay for it. She is a Maharani, yes, but should we be holding it against her. The problem is that in India you can’t be seen as someone who is welloff if you are in politics. You always have to be like your praja and live accordingly.
Poojadogra: Must a CM always cater to populist demands? Why are issues of education, environment, women's empowerment not as important as the silly SC-ST battles? Will Rajasthan become a better state overall if the Gurjars are given ST status?
Bhupendra: That’s the problem before our country. Populism at the end of the day still sells. That’s why those perceived-to-be progressives, like Chandrababu Naidu or Amarinder Singh end up losing.
Comments
0 comment