By Japan K Pathak
Gandhinagar

Even after his best attempts, Narendra Modi as Chief Minister of Gujarat couldn’t ensure wholehearted support from Thakor community voters in central and north Gujarat regions during the assembly polls and by-polls. Thakor community is believed traditionally aligned with Congress party so far as local elections are concerned. BJP occasionally gets some support of this community in some elections, but this community has been largely loyal to Congress only.

Thakor community voters mainly dominate the pockets in rural Ahmedabad, rural Gandhinagar, rural Kheda and parts of north Gujarat area. This community falls in OBC(other backward class) Khshatriya section and Congress leader Shankersinh, his son and his close allies in politics largely rely on votes of this community.

In recent weeks, mass hysteria has caught up the villages in rural Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Kheda belts. Villagers wake up entire night and move across the village with weapons due to rumor-triggered mass hysteria. They believe their villages are under attack by terrorists and goons. They fear outsiders would attack the village during night and abduct village women. In their desperation, they occasionally attack strangers found in or outside the village during night. In one such incident, local villagers in Harsol caught a stranger wandering at canal-side in night and beat him up by tying him to pillar in public. The stranger thrashed by villagers was not thief or goon but mentally ill person wandering in rural area. Such incidents have also happened in Kuha and other villages too. At Apruji na Muvada village, locals, victim of mass hysteria attacked police vehicle in the night. Several police men were injured in this incident. Police had to lob tear gas shells and also fire rounds. Next day in the morning when police raided the village to catch the culprits, entire village was found empty.

To fight the rumors and mass hysteria prevailing in rural areas surrounding Ahmedabad, police has arrested four persons who are found spreading rumors through social media, mainly WhatsApp.

But if something like this happens in Thakor community dominated belt, one person who can’t afford to sit silent is Shankersinh Vaghela. It is because this same belt elects Shankersinh and continues to make him relevant in politics of Gujarat.

Shankersinh and former Congress MP Jagdish Thakor first visited the villages affected by rumors and mass hysteria and held smaller meetings. Obviously he oozed venom against the state government, the police and BJP. He later addressed a press conference in Ahmedabad and again issued statements against the government, police and BJP. In third step, Shankersinh organized a public meeting in one of the affected villages and he and his ally Jagdish Thakor used strong words in their speech such as ‘Gujarat will burn in flames’ and ‘if someone dies, his cremation will take place in Chief Minister’s bungalow’ etc.

Politically Shankersinh’s move is understandable. He needs to be relevant in this belt to continue to be relevant in politics of Gujarat.District panchayat, Taluka panchayat, Nagarpalika elections are going to be held in last quarter of this year. Vaghela wants his men to rule local bodies in OBC/Thakor belt. Getting power in these bodies is important in local politics. It is also economically lucrative as powers like Non Agriculture(NA) Land conversion etc are with local bodies.

To counter Shankersinh’s audacity in this belt, Gujarat BJP today called its Thakor/Kshatriya leaders to state party headquarters in Gandhinagar and asked them to hold ‘khatla bethak’, maholla meetings to balance/counter Shankersinh effect. Party men will visit villages and make a point that there has been no low and order issue here, and it’s just rumor mill that is disturbing the atmosphere.

Meanwhile one of 11 persons arrested from Apruji na Muvada village in connection with attack on police has been hospitalized at Civil hospital in Ahmedabad due to epilepsy.

Update:

The meeting held today at Gujarat BJP headquarters was attended by IK Jadeja, Bhikhubhai Dalsania, Shabdasharanbhai Brahmbhatt, Shankarbhai Chaudhary, Dilipji Thakor, MPs, MLAs of five districts.

Lok Sabha MP and actor Paresh Rawal was absent in today’s meeting.While villagers in his constituency are living in fear, Paresh as a cine-star could actually visit these villages and do nice job to aware the people against rumors, but he is – as always – absent.

– DeshGujarat