Recently Gujarat has been going through a lot of backdoor politics, with both BJP and Congress trying to pull the Patidars and other backward classes votes to their side. Soon the state is going to be poll-bound as the assembly elections are nearing, due in Dec 2017.
While the newly appointed JD(U) Gujarat leader Chottubhai Vasava the working president of the party has indicated that the JD(U) may form an alliance with Congress and even join hands with Hardik Patel the Patidar leader. Also other than Hardik Patel, another backwards class leader Alpesh Thakor may also join hands with Congress, giving a major blow to the BJP, expecting nothing less than victory in the polls.
Both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress is all geared up and ready to fight the battle. Though BJP, overconfident to win the polls was a little carefree regarding the elections and Congress taking advantage of this has been successful in gaining the attention, especially of the minorities and the Other Backward Castes. Recent developments in Gujarat point out that Patidars who comprise of almost 14% of the total population may join hands with Congress and this can be a major reason for the BJP to worry.
Patidars under the leadership of Hardik Patel have been protesting for many years and in the past two years their protest, demanding reservation for the community has gained momentum. Hardik Patel has openly started expressing his distress with the Vijay Rupani led government, indicating that the Patidars may extend their support to the Congress.
Looking at the situations getting out of hand Gujarat government, agreeing to give an ear to their demands has decided to hold a meeting with the Patidars to finally end the stir in the state.
Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Thursday announced that Gujarat government along with some senior bJP leaders will hold a discussion with the protesting Patidars and other community leaders on 26 Sep. He said that many community leaders have asked the government to end the protests held by the quota agitators, therefore the government decided to find an amicable solution to the demands and set 26 Sep as the date for meeting at Gandhinagar. He further informed that the government will be holding the meeting with around 100 Patidars.
Nitin said that apart from the Patidar quota bodies, Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and Sardar Patel Group (SPG), leaders of other social and religious organisation like Umiya Dham and Khodal Dham, are also invited to the meeting. He also added that state BJP President Jitubhai Vaghani will also be present for the meeting.
This is the second time that the government has announced a meeting with the quota protestors, the first was announced on Aug 6. However, no day was scheduled for the government back then. Other than this attempt, in the past two years, a few meetings were held but, none of them concluded on an amicable note to end the stir.
BJP fearing the Patidars extending their support to the Congress has taken this decision. Relations between the Patidars and the BJP have not been very friendly and the recent comment against the Patidar leader further widened the rift. Recently Nitin Patel had termed Hardik Patel as a Congress agent, which all the more angered the leader.
The quota bodies have been a matter of concern for the government, more than once. During an event hosted by the state BJP Yuva Morcha president Rutvij Patel in Surat, two weeks back, the PAAS members interrupted the programme by creatin a ruckus at the scene. Prior to this incident, the Patidar leader Hardik Patel was arrested in a case of assault in Patan last month.
After being released on bail Patel agitated with the arrest, challenged the BPJ government and took an oath to defeat the BJP in the forthcoming assembly elections. He has also directed the Patidars to not to let the BJP members enter their society during the election campaign, and urged them not to vote for the BJP.
Responding to the invitation of the meeting a senior PAAS member and a close aide of Patel, Lalit Vasoya said that the government has organised this meeting only hoping to woo the Patidars to their side and save themselves from being embarrassed on losing the assembly polls.
“This is not the first time we are invited to hold talks. Nothing had transpired in the earlier meetings. Since elections are approaching, the BJP has called us for talks, as no party, be it the BJP or Congress, can ignore such a decisive vote bank during polls,” said Vasoya.
He further added that despite knowing the government’s intention, the invited Patidar leaders will attend the meeting, if the government is ready to accept their demands of resevation in the OBC quota, compensation or government jobs to the kins of those who lost theri lives suring the 2015 agitation and to take strict action against the policemen who killed the Patidar youth in 2015.
It is not just the Patidars that are giving a tough time to the Gujarat government, the BJP is also worried about the success Congress is achieving getting the attention of the people through their election campaign that is getting viral on the social media. BJP determined not to leave the throne in the state will do every possible thing to win the polls, even if that meant wooing the Patidars and other backward classes demanding reservation.