Jaipur: People get impatient and violent as Rajasthan gets into election mode

One sign that Rajasthan is getting into election mode is to find sudden spurt in agitations and mass violence.

Jaipur had it when for no apparent reason, a mob in Muslin area of Ramganj got violent as it burnt and damaged vehicles and attacked media and police last week leading to firing that killed one person. The reason was a resentment that had been building up over anti-encroachment drive and strict policing of traffic laws in recent weeks.  Trouble was sparked off when a policeman, out to shift e-rickshaws wrongly parked, hit a couple with a child on a motorcycle as a result of which one man, Sajid, and child fell down and suffered injuries.

And then, there is another agitation that has been building up. It is by a section of farmers which  disrupted traffic on highways in Shekhawati region. The agitation is led by communist leader Amra Ram.

The government began late to hold negotiations and farmers too are bargaining hard to get loan waivers and other concessions.  Sachin Pilot, president of the state Congress, is backing farmers' demands and has succeeded in building his image as their well-wisher.

Earlier, last month, clerical staff in the state went on strike for two weeks bringing to halt public dealings every where. They were demanding parity with ministerial staff in secretariat who do similar work.

And before that, a section of Rajputs had rallied for CBI inquiry into an encounter of gangster Anand Pal Singh leading to the death of one person in police firing.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has been lucky so far that state has not witnessed violence as it had during her first tenure when police repeatedly fired killing many during agitations like Gujjar reservation and others.

Of late, the trend shows that people in the state are becoming restive and somewhere, there is a lack of communication with masses.  One can say that most agitations are mobilized by anti-BJP forces, but good response to them should be an eye opener. It is surprising that even local BJP leaders and cadre are not being used much to ensure that not many people get mobilized for agitation in the first place. Once situation gets out of control, then, of course, some Rajput leaders will come out and try to end agitation like it was done during protests over Anand Pal Singh.  

Similarly, Yunus Khan, minister for PWD and transport played a crucial role in making roadways employees withdraw their strike and also in calming down Muslims in Jaipur in which Ashok Parnami, BJP president also played an important role in restoring peace.

However, where government and BJP are lacking is in its failure to assess the situation from the beginning.  This is not a healthy sign and given that political scenario is becoming volatile, government machinery and BJP must put in lot of efforts to get intelligence about possible unrest before they get violent.

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