NEW DELHI, Mar 11: The Rajasthan chef minister Ashok Gehlot in a bid to take the heat out of the agitation by the widows of the Pulwama martyrs, met the widows of other martyrs on Saturday and discussed with them the demand for providing jobs to the children of the martyrs.
The widows of soldiers killed in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack have been protesting since February 28 demanding a change in rules so that their relatives and not just children can get government jobs on compassionate grounds. Their other demands include construction of roads and installation of statues of the martyrs in their villages.
Gehlot to create a rift in the ‘jobs for relatives’ controversy raging in Rajasthan, refused to meet widows of the Pulwama soldiers who have been protesting, asking for jobs for their relatives and instead met widows of earlier martyrs and discussed the issue with them. They have said they would rather have the jobs saved for the children. The chief minister also tweeted “will it not be better if the jobs are saved for the children of the martyrs?”
A day after the Rajasthan police detained BJP leader Kirodi Lal Meena, party workers held another protest in Jaipur on Saturday. Gehlot accused Meena of using widows for political gains. Meena, in turn, has accused the police of “trying to kill him.” The protests turned violent as the protesters attempted to march towards Gehlot’s residence.
While the protesters threw stones and broke police barricades, the police resorted to lathi-charge. On Friday morning, the police removed the widows who had been protesting outside the former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot’s house in Jaipur and shifted them to hospitals near their respective residential areas.
Gehlot met some widows of soldiers who were killed in action in earlier operations. They told him that government jobs should be given to their children only. The widows of soldiers killed in the Pulwama attack did not meet Gehlot. The BJP slammed the state government, calling the action “an insult to the widows” and accused it of not fulfilling the promises made to the families.
Reacting to the police action, Mr Pilot, a strong rival of Gehlot, said in Tonk that the issues of the widows should be heard with sensitivity. “Even today I believe that we can fulfil demands like laying roads, erecting houses, and installing statues. A message should not go out that we are not ready to listen to the demands of the widows of the martyrs. It is another thing whether we agree to their issues or not but one should put aside his ego while listening to their demands,” the Congress leader said.
(Manas Dasgupta)