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A group of youths from Rajasthan are on a march in Gujarat demanding jobs, naming it Dandi Yatra, after Mahatma Gandhi’s salt march.
Led by Upen Yadav, State President, Rajasthan Unemployment United Federation, the youths are protesting against Rajasthan Government’s inefficiency in providing jobs. The Dandi Yatra started on October 2 in Palanpur and is now in Ahmedabad.
If the issue pertains to Rajasthan, why is the yatra being conducted in Gujarat? Yadav told businessline, “When we raised our voice, we were put behind bars, we were lathi-charged. No one was hearing our demands in Rajasthan. In Gujarat, assembly elections are going on, and politicians are afraid of losing votes. We are a believer of Gandhi, and Rajasthan’s leaders are believers of Gandhi. So, we came out with the yatra to be heard.”
Why Dandi Yatra
Yadav said the youths were inspired by the ideals of Gandhi. They have already walked more than 130 km. Yadav said, “We are walking because we are believers of Gandhi. Even women are on the roads protesting. Not hearing us, is an insult towards Gandhi.”
Demands unfulfilled
Most of the promises from the first budget of Rajasthan Government led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had not been fulfilled, said Yadav. There had been several instances of paper leaks, where several ministers were involved, but there had been no action on it, Yadav added.
Among the demands are the release of Panchayati Raj recruitment posts for 2100 vacancies, Junior Inspector recruitment posts for 1500 vacancies, and the release of vacancies for the post of Information Assistant, Programmer, and others.
Ritesh Dhakar, a youth from Rajasthan who is preparing for government exams, said, “OBC EWS certificates, which are made after the recruitment notification of an exam, are not accepted. So, one of the demands of the yatra is to validate the latest OBC EWC certificates.”
Politically neutral
The Dandi Yatra is happening when Rahul Gandhi is conducting his Bharat Jodo Yatra to gain the support of the masses. Yadav has said that if their demands were not met, they would obstruct Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan.
Though Gehlot has said that the yatra was backed by the BJP, Yadav denies it. “We protested against the BJP as well when they were in power,” said Yadav.
“Our organization is an apolitical organization. When we protested against the BJP previously and went to jail, we didn’t take any help from Congress. This time also, we are not taking any help from BJP. Had we taken any help, we wouldn’t have slept on the streets, we wouldn’t have spent days without eating food.”
Govind Singh Dotasra, President of the Rajasthan unit of the Congress, refused to comment on the yatra.
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