JAIPUR: The political temperature in Rajasthan is rising a few months before the Assembly polls. The Mahapanchayat (Mahasangam) of the Mali Samaj, to which Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot belong, was held in Jaipur on Sunday. Although Gehlot couldn’t attend the event, his son and RCA chief Vaibhav Gehlot, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya were present at the rally.
In the election year, major castes in Rajasthan are organising caste-based events to showcase their dominance. Jat, Rajput, and Brahmin communities have already held such events in the last few months.
On Sunday, BJP leaders faced an uncomfortable situation. Despite repeated refusals, members of the Mali community took over the stage four times, displaying placards in support of the Gehlot government. When Keshav Prasad Maurya began his address, supporters of Gehlot started booing him.
Maurya’s speech praising the BJP’s style of working enraged Gehlot’s supporters, who started chanting slogans. BJP supporters in the gathering countered the slogans. Maurya stopped his speech, urging everyone to avoid conflict. The awkward situation saw Lok Sabha Speaker Birla leaving the gathering without delivering his speech.
Vaibhav Gehlot in his address expressed confidence in the Congress government in Rajasthan, citing the support received from the people. He also referenced the social reformer Jyotiba Phule, who belonged to the Mali community, highlighting Phule’s significant contributions to society and his efforts towards the uplift of Dalits.
During the rally, the Mali community put up several demands before the government, including honouring Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitri Bai Phule with the Bharat Ratna and installing their statues in the new Parliament House. They also demanded a 12% reservation for Saini, Mali, Kushwaah, Shakya, Maurya, Suman, Vanmali, and Bhoi Mali Samaj based on their extreme economic and social backwardness. They also requested national political parties to allocate a minimum number of seats for the Mali Samaj in each district during assembly elections.
BJP left embarrassed
On Sunday, BJP leaders faced a situation. Despite repeated refusals, members of the Mali community took over the stage four times, displaying placards in support of the Gehlot government.