New Delhi: The Centre said on Monday it would consider the demand of Gujjars for Scheduled Tribe status in Rajasthan if the state government makes a recommendation in this regard.

Replying to questions in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of Tribal Affairs P R Kyndiah said the Rajasthan Government has so far not written to the Centre regarding inclusion of Gujjars in the ST category.

"If the Government of Rajasthan writes to us, recommending and justifying their inclusion, I will take it into consideration," he said triggering noisy scenes in the Upper House.

BJP members, led by Ramdas Agarwal and Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi, were on their feet asking the Minister not to put the blame on Rajasthan Government. They said the earlier pleas for ST status for two other communities are still not addressed.

The Minister tried to explain that for including a new tribe in the ST list, the Centre needs the recommendation of the state government and clearance of the Registrar General of India and the National Commission of Scheduled Tribes.

But the BJP members were not satisfied with the reply and persisted with their demand for a clear-cut answer after which Congress members such as Santhosh Bagrodia came to the rescue of the Minister, sparking heated exchanges between the treasury and Opposition benches.

The members were pacificed by the Chairman.

On reviewing the criteria for inclusion of new tribes in the ST list, he said a Group of Ministers has been constituted to look into the issue and the matter is before its consideration.
Source : PTI