In Surat, another BJP leader faces Patidar anger

PAAS members protest against detention of two Patidar youths outside Varachha police station in Surat on Friday. (Express Photo)

Workers of the BJP and the Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) came face-to-face outside a police station after Karanj BJP MLA Janak Bagdana wasn’t allowed to carry out door-to-door campaign amid protest at a society in Punagam area here. Over the past few days, BJP leaders, carrying out door-to-door campaign ahead of the Assembly polls, have been facing protests by the Patidar community members in Varachha, Karanj and Karmej constituencies in Surat city.

On Friday evening, when Bagdana and his supporters reached Swaminarayan Nagar Society on Punagam-Phoolpada road, some youths wearing ‘Jay Sardar, Jay Patidar’ caps stopped them and asked them not to enter the society. Unperturbed, the BJP leader entered the locality, but soon had to return as the residents, several of them wearing ‘Jay Sardar, Jay Patidar’ caps, started raising slogans against the BJP.

However, police reached the spot and detained two youths and took them to Varachha police station.

Soon, Surat PAAS co-convener Dharmik Malaviya and several members of the outfit reached the police station to protest detention of the two youths. After a while, local BJP leaders and workers reached there, leading to a confrontation between the two groups.

Police acted promptly and separated the two groups. The two detained youths were later released.

Malaviya said, “We have strictly informed BJP leaders not to organise any programme in Patidar-dominated areas, but even after our warning, they continue to carry out door-to-door meetings. If they continue with such programmes, we will protest and oppose them. The BJP leaders are using police as a tool to detain and arrest our supporters. We will not compromise and we are ready to get arrested. If police arrest us or detain us, a large number of Patidar youths will take to the streets.”

On the other hand, MLA Bagdana told The Indian Express: “A group of notorious elements tried to disturb our door-to-door campaign under Congress’s instruction. We will not surrender. They (the protesters) raised slogans in front of us, but we remained calm. A police mobile van spotted the incident and picked up some youths.”

BJP leaders are facing a tough time campaigning in the Patidar-dominated areas of the city. On Wednesday, BJP MLA Mukesh Patel and Mayor of Surat city Ashmitaben Shiroya had to face protests from Patidars and had to leave the place where they were campaigning.

The former municipal corporators of Surat, Babu Jirawala and Arvind Goyani, Thursday had to face angry Patidars during a door-to-door campaign in Sarthana.

The Patidar community is dominant in Varachha area in which Karanj, Varachha and Kamrej assembly segments fall. The BJP had won all the three seats in the last Assembly election.