Jaipur, Aug 25 (IANS): Thousands of nurses from across Rajasthan came to Jaipur on Friday to stage a mass protest against the state government as their long-standing demands "remain unaddressed" during the four-and-half-year of the current Congress government. 

As per officials, these nurses took leave and gathered at Jaipur's SMS Medical College ground at 11 a.m. They later took out a protest rally to Ramleela Maidan here.

The mass leave by nurses hit the patients across the state. However, hospital administration had made alternate arrangements by deputing nursing college students.

The four demands being raised by these nurses are -- removal of the salary discrepancy, promotions as per time scale, regularisation of contractual employees and formation of a committee to resolve employees' grievances.

In a joint statement, Rajasthan Nurses Sanyukta Sanghar Samiti leaders including Pyare Lal, Rajendra Singh Rana and Narendra Singh Shekhawat said that they were staging a peaceful protest since last three months however the government "overlooked our demands".

"In 2018 elections, Congress in its manifesto has made four promises with employees and all these promises remain unfulfilled as of now. Hence employees are anguished for their 100 per cent demands are not implemented. Now its time to make another manifesto and last manifesto’s promises are pending," they added.