Jaipur: The 10-month-old Gurjar agitation, induction of five new ministers in the Vasundhara Raje ministry and the elevation of Pratibha Patil as the first woman President of the country marked the year for Rajasthan.
Terror, too, shook the state when a bomb exploded on the compound of Ajmer Sharief, killing three and injuring 17 people. The state police and Central agencies are still groping in the dark even as they link it with the Hyderabad serial blasts.
However, it's the Gurjar agitation which has now become a veritable millstone round the BJP-led Vasundhara Raje government's neck. At least 26 people were killed in March in clashes ignited by Gurjar agitators demanding inclusion of the community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. The BJP government, riven by dissident activity, inducted five new ministers, including a Gurjar.
A retired Armyman, Kirori Singh Bainsla, who heads the Gurjar outfit, has threatened a repeat of the March violence following a panel's recommendation disfavouring ST status for the community. The state government has sent the panel's report to the Centre without making any comments.
The agitation has brought to the fore similar competitive aspirations from other communities. For instance, the Meenas, Brahmins, Rajputs and the Jan Jati Bachao Samiti have demanded quota benefits. This has upset all calculations of the Raje government: her claims of achieving a revenue surplus economy have largely gone unnoticed.
Compounding Vasundhara Raje's problems are the dissident activities.
Half a dozen of Raje ministers, including G S Tiwari (Education), G C Kataria (Home), K L Meena (Relief), Madan Dilawar (Social Justice) and K M Katara (Rural Development) did not attend a series of Cabinet meetings and boycotted many party and government functions where Raje was present.
They all appeared to be against the re-appointment of Mahesh Sharma as the state BJP president.
Then came the opium episode: leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh and nine senior party leaders, known to be Raje detractors, were caught allegedly sipping "opium" during a ceremony at Jaswant's native village Jasole. The state CID-Crime Branch is investigating the case after a local court took cognisance of a complaint.
Amidst dissidence, the Raje government hosted a summit "Resurgent Rajasthan Partnership 2007", where investors inked MoUs on various projects worth Rs 1.50 lakh crore in just one day of their interaction.
The Congress, too, indicated that it is in the election mode. A Jat leader Hema Ram Choudhary replaced another party Jat leader to become the CLP chief. The state party also had its new president, Dr C P Joshi.
This year, the High Court in an unprecedented order, served a show-cause notice on a number of MLAs, including Speaker Sumitra Singh, Vasundhara Raje and leader of the Opposition R N Choudhary for their comments on the judiciary in the House over transfer of the Law Secretary and the pending legal cases in courts.
Rajasthan sent its first citizen, Pratibha Patil, the then Governor, to Raisina Hills as the first woman President of India. Her elevation saw a royal political battle between Bharion Singh Shekhawat, the then Vice-President, and Mrs Patil.
The contest generated a lot of heat in political circles and among the people as Shekhawat is perceived as the son of the soil and Patil the "daughter-in-law" of Chotti Losal village.
On the law and order front, the year witnessed a number of important cases. In the Bitti Mohanty case, a year of futile hunt by Rajasthan and Orissa cops saw his IPS father of
Orissa cadre B B Mohanty allegedly conspiring in helping his son convicted of raping a German woman.
The government has declared the father and son as proclaimed offenders, asking them to appear before a court by January 10.
In a glaring case of corruption in Sriganganagar, 18 Army officers and many civilian officials have allegedly been found involved in the illegal weapon licence scam.
In Gujarat's alleged encounter killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, one IPS officer, Dinesh MN, posted in Alwar as Superintendent of Police, was arrested.
Dinesh remained in jail for a couple of months and after obtaining bail, was taken back in the state police.
Bureau Report
