The
Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti is set to renew its demand for job reservations soon. PAAS leader Hardik
Patel has said that the stir for obtaining job reservations for the Patidar community will recommence soon.
Though BJP may well chose to deal with it as a state issue, the stir may contribute to reviving the demand for reservations for economically weaker sections among upper castes across the country. Similar demands are being made by Jats, Gurjars and Marathas and governments have been resisting the same for quite some time now.
Interestingly, senior Patidar leader Gordhan Zadafia has established his contacts with the wider net of communities, including Kurmi Kshatriyas, Gurjars, Jats, Mohantis, Kappas and Kapus, which gave
Hardik Patel a much wider platform once he started his agitation.
In Gujarat,
Patidars have been the backbone of Hindutva politics, throwing up leaders like Keshubhai Patel, Gordhan Zadafia, Pravin Togadia and Babu Bajrangi. The community helped BJP take over the state with its money and muscle power, but fell by the wayside after 2002, when then CM
Narendra Modi sidelined Togadia.
The community has been trying to reclaim its pivotal position and get even with BJP. With the demand for reservations, the community’s voting preference changed in the 2017 assembly polls.
Even though Hardik has veered towards Congress, he has not masked his Hindutva leanings and has even hailed 2002 riot-accused Babu Bajrangi as the ‘real Hindutvaicon’. Ahmedabad-based writer Achyut Yagnik says the proquota movement of the agrarian communities are inherently opposed to existing quota. JDU general secretary Akhilesh Katiyar toldET demands of all agitating communities were likely to converge ahead of 2019 polls.
