Hardik Patel must have been caught unawares! Having spent quite a
number of days in jail, he was given bail by the Gujarat High Court on
the condition that he didn't turn up in his home state Gujarat for six
months and Mehsana for nine months.
But the damage has already been done. Two of his close associates Chirag Patel and Ketan Patel have spilled the beans by alleging Hardik with having amassed wealth in the name of a revolution under the banner of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS).
For a guy in his twenties, Hardik showed the audacity to take on an indifferent attitude of the Gujarat government towards giving reservations to his community in jobs in a state that was earlier helmed by the current Prime Minister of the country, Narendra Modi.
Hardik became a household name and TV channels stalked him for discussions on serious issues related to Gujarat. Fast forward a bit, the same person faces the threat of extinction thanks to two of his trusted lieutenants-turned-foes.
Hardik must be a worried man as he tries to look at ways to come out of this mess. But deep down, as he finishes his dinner to hit the bed in Udaipur, where he currently stays, Hardik must be reconciling to the fact that political maturity prevails over zeal, even if the ones banking on the latter are sincere and committed enough.
The Patidars under the leadership of Hardik burst on to the scene when they raised certain relevant points that hit the headlines. Anandiben Patel, the then Gujarat CM tried to mollify the Patidars by declaring a 10 per cent reservation in jobs and educational institutions for economically weaker castes in the unreserved category. However, this was overruled by the Gujarat High Court. An effort to calm down the protesters turned out to be a damp squib.
Anandiben had to take the exit route and Amit Shah, the BJP president used his office to anoint Vijay Rupani to the post at the expense of a Patel, which didn't go down well with the community in the party and the state. Perhaps, the battle-lines were drawn then and the decision to stop the rot was taken in New Delhi and the repercussions can be felt now.
It's too early to comment, but at the same time, one may not be a fool to ignore the might of the Modi-Shah combo to oppress a voice of dissent challenging its position. And this time by using its expertise to sideline a young man who had the guts to revolt against a government that's remote-controlled by the duo.
BJP may afford lose Uttar Pradesh or Punjab, but if at all it loses Gujarat, the home state of the two most powerful leaders in the country, then internal squabbles would only have an adverse impact on a party that dreams of decimating anyone throwing his hat in the ring. Those voices that have not been heard before will come out of the grave. With memories of a big jolt in Bihar and Delhi still haunting, a defeat in Gujarat will for sure be a hard pill to swallow.
One may be taking it a bit too far, but behind-the-door machinations to engineer a split in PAAS shouldn't be brushed aside.
Worth a thought!
But the damage has already been done. Two of his close associates Chirag Patel and Ketan Patel have spilled the beans by alleging Hardik with having amassed wealth in the name of a revolution under the banner of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS).
For a guy in his twenties, Hardik showed the audacity to take on an indifferent attitude of the Gujarat government towards giving reservations to his community in jobs in a state that was earlier helmed by the current Prime Minister of the country, Narendra Modi.
Hardik became a household name and TV channels stalked him for discussions on serious issues related to Gujarat. Fast forward a bit, the same person faces the threat of extinction thanks to two of his trusted lieutenants-turned-foes.
Hardik must be a worried man as he tries to look at ways to come out of this mess. But deep down, as he finishes his dinner to hit the bed in Udaipur, where he currently stays, Hardik must be reconciling to the fact that political maturity prevails over zeal, even if the ones banking on the latter are sincere and committed enough.
The Patidars under the leadership of Hardik burst on to the scene when they raised certain relevant points that hit the headlines. Anandiben Patel, the then Gujarat CM tried to mollify the Patidars by declaring a 10 per cent reservation in jobs and educational institutions for economically weaker castes in the unreserved category. However, this was overruled by the Gujarat High Court. An effort to calm down the protesters turned out to be a damp squib.
Anandiben had to take the exit route and Amit Shah, the BJP president used his office to anoint Vijay Rupani to the post at the expense of a Patel, which didn't go down well with the community in the party and the state. Perhaps, the battle-lines were drawn then and the decision to stop the rot was taken in New Delhi and the repercussions can be felt now.
It's too early to comment, but at the same time, one may not be a fool to ignore the might of the Modi-Shah combo to oppress a voice of dissent challenging its position. And this time by using its expertise to sideline a young man who had the guts to revolt against a government that's remote-controlled by the duo.
BJP may afford lose Uttar Pradesh or Punjab, but if at all it loses Gujarat, the home state of the two most powerful leaders in the country, then internal squabbles would only have an adverse impact on a party that dreams of decimating anyone throwing his hat in the ring. Those voices that have not been heard before will come out of the grave. With memories of a big jolt in Bihar and Delhi still haunting, a defeat in Gujarat will for sure be a hard pill to swallow.
One may be taking it a bit too far, but behind-the-door machinations to engineer a split in PAAS shouldn't be brushed aside.
Worth a thought!
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