Jaipur, May 16 (IANS): A protest by Gujjar community in the state, which was scheduled to be staged from May 15 to press for their demand of 5 per cent reservation within OBC quota, has been postponed to May 23, a community leader said.

Senior Gujjar leader Himmat Singh told IANS that the protest would now be staged from May 23, when thousands of community members would come together to decide the next course of action.

"This way, we have given the state government seven days' time to decide on our demand of granting 5 per cent reservation to Gujjars under the OBC (Other Backward Classes) quota," Singh said.

Gujjar leaders and the state government representatives reportedly held a long discussion from Monday evening till late night in the state capital.

While government termed the discussion "positive", the Gujjar leaders said they would discuss the government's proposal with the community's leaders at a Mahapanchayat on Tuesday in Adda village of Bharatpur district.

As per the plan, thousands of community members arrived in Adda village on Tuesday to discuss the proposal, but strong winds created hiccups and the Mahapanchayat had to be deferred to May 23, top Gujjar leader Colonel Kirori Singh Bainsla said.

The government's draft proposal, which IANS has a copy of, says that the central government has formed Rohini Commission to decide sub-categorisation of OBCs and it would be submitting its report soon in this matter.

The Commission has also invited the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh on June 4, 2018 to discuss the issue.

As soon as the central government decides on the subject, the state government would announce the decision in this regard, says the draft.

However, the Gujjar community also wants the state government to have its own statutory body similar to the Centre's Rohini Commission, to decide sub-categorisation of OBCs.

Uttar Pradesh already had its own body to decide the OBC sub-categoriation in the state, said Singh.