Patels and govt ready for face-off at Vijapur

AHMEDABAD: All eyes are on Vijapur in Mehsana district, hometown of PM Narendra Modi and Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel, where Patel community has given a clarion call for a rally demanding OBC status on Tuesday.
On Monday evening, CM held a meeting with top ministers and key BJP functionaries to chalk out a strategy to contain the Patel stir without sending out wrong signal to Patidars that are BJPs biggest and loyal votebank.
The Patidar samaj, which has been denied permission by state administration to hold a rally after violence in Visnagar rally last week, however, declared the community will pour in voluntarily to take the reservation cause forward.
Hardik Patel, key young leader of Patidar Yuva Sikshan Samiti Vijapur and member of Sardar Patel Group (SPG), said, "Rally will be organised at all costs. We have called for Vijapur bandh and requested all Patidars to join." Another rally has also been organised at Mandal in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Mehsana collector Lochan Sehara said a special plan for maintaining law and order at Vijapur is ready. "We have made adequate police bandobast in Vijapur and requested locals to cooperate."
CM meets BJP's core group to discuss Patidar stir
The state BJP's core group meeting was held at chief minister Anandiben Patel's residence in Gandhinagar to discuss the bandh called by Patidar community at Vijapur in Mehsana district to demand OBC reservations for the community. The meeting was attended by BJP President RC Faldu and top BJP leaders and the state government's key ministers. Sources said the chief minister discussed the likely strategy to neutralize the rapidly picking up Patidar movement in state. The likely impact of the movement was also discussed by those who attended the meeting in Gandhinagar, ahead of the face-off.