Rajput Community Hosts District Convention in Mandi, Voices Concerns Over Government Neglect
Community Gathering in Mandi
Munish Sood
Mandi
A district-level gathering of the Rajput community took place on Sunday at Ner Chowk, organized by the Shri Rajput Sabha, District Mandi, and led by notable social worker Surat Singh Guleria. The event saw enthusiastic participation from community members throughout the district.
Special guests included senior officials from the Himachal Pradesh Rajput Mahasabha, such as State President Er. K.S. Jamwal, Senior Vice President Dr. Amar Singh Guleria, Vice President Er. D.K. Chandel, Deputy General Secretary Hem Singh Thakur, Treasurer Narottam Rawat, Special Organiser Ravindra Singh Guleria, and Ramesh Mehta. Representatives from nearby units including Loonapani, Sadar Mandi, Behna, and Sundernagar were also in attendance.
During the meeting, speakers called for unity among Rajput community members and emphasized the importance of protecting their constitutional right to equality in a free India. They expressed serious concerns regarding the perceived neglect of the Rajput and general category communities, attributing it to caste-based favoritism by both Central and State governments.
The attendees collectively decided to initiate a targeted awareness and membership campaign at the panchayat level to engage Rajput and general category families, aiming for household-level enrollment in the organization.
Demands Presented to the Government
Key Demands Placed Before the Government
State President Er. K.S. Jamwal reminded attendees of a meeting on June 28, 2025, where the Chief Minister had promised to consider the Mahasabha’s key demands after reviewing reports from relevant departments. However, the lack of follow-up actions has led to increasing dissatisfaction, especially among the youth.
The convention outlined several significant demands for the government:
1. Reconstitution of the General Category Commission
2. Implementation of reservation based solely on economic status, excluding financially stable families from SC/ST benefits
3. Cessation of indiscriminate financial allocations under the SC/ST Atrocities Act
4. Termination of substantial incentives for inter-caste marriages involving SC/ST individuals
5. Elimination of caste-based discrimination in schools regarding uniforms and scholarships.
The assembly also expressed strong disapproval of a recent notification from the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission, which set eligibility test fees at ₹1150 for General Category candidates, ₹600 for OBC candidates, and only ₹325 for SC/ST candidates. The convention called for the Chief Minister to take immediate action to revoke this notification and establish a uniform fee structure for all categories.
Formation of Ner Chowk Unit
Ner Chowk Unit Formed
During the convention, the Ner Chowk unit of the Shri Rajput Sabha was officially established. Tej Singh Thakur was elected as President, Nilesh Kumar Thakur as General Secretary, and Dharam Singh Parmar as Treasurer, with the authority to form the remaining executive committee.
Notable attendees included Buddhi Singh Sen, Dhyan Singh Guleria, K.S. Minhas, Pradeep Guleria, Hardev Singh Thakur, Gangveer Singh, Prem Lal Verma, Rajendra Sen, Karam Singh Thakur, Vivek Thakur, Dile Ram, Ravi Kant Thakur, Tamber Singh, Narendra Thakur, and Sunil Kumar Chandel.