Patidar poser: Nanubhai Vanani replies, but also asks whether stir is ‘non-political’

In his reply received by the Samiti members Tuesday night, Vanani — Minister of State for Sports and Youth Cultural Activities and MLA from Katargam in Surat — also listed five questions for the outfit.

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Vanani’s replies to the five questions were:

1) Patidar community demanding reservation is genuine or not? The minister answered “yes and no” because the use of reservation for “a competent person or a community results into more loss than gain”.

2) Your opinion on the incident that took place at GMDC ground on August 25, 2015. He said there was no appropriate reason for continuing the rally after 5 pm. “The activities of agitating leaders after 5.00 was non-democratic and to spread violence. The agitating leaders are responsible for the outbreak of violence on 25th August night in which innocent youths had sacrificed their lives.”

3) The state government had not taken any step against police action. Your opinion. The minister replied: “The agitating leaders should first clear their stand as till 5.00 pm everything went peaceful and after that without permission they continued to stay in the ground which led to the outbreak of violence and decided not to leave the ground. If a fruit is sour in taste than not to blame fruit, but its sour seed is responsible for that, in this way the community had to bear the sour seed of agitating leaders had sowed sour seeds and now the community is suffering.”

4) Your opinion on the sedition charges levelled by the state government. Vanani said the court has to take a decision and I don’t want to comment on it.

5) If you have made any representations to the state government? He answered, “After indepth study of advantages and disadvantages of reservation, I came to a conclusion that disadvantages are more than advantages for a competent community. I understand that such representations should not be made. The agitating leaders are responsible for all the incidents across the state due to their malintentions…

The question of making representations to the state government does not arise. Still, the government has withdrawn majority of the cases.”
In the letter, Vanani has requested the Samiti to answer five questions, which “came in his mind while reading the letter”. The questions were:

1) Whether the Patidar community is carrying out the agitation in support of the demand for reservation? The agitation has been started by the Patidar community, but whether it is for the betterment of the community?

2) The agitation is non-political. Who had given certificate of it? The Samiti leaders have not given any assurance that in future they would stay away from political parties or fight elections. The Jan Lokpal agitation started by Anna Hazare was earlier termed non-political, but later we have experienced that the motive behind it was political.

3) Is there fear, poverty and corruption like situation prevailing in the state?

4) What difficulties a common man faces to live?

5) Is the condition of farmers is not good?

Later, talking to The Indian Express, Vanani said, “I have given answers to all the questions raised by the Samiti, and I am waiting for their answers. I have put my opinions and my reactions on the ongoing agitations, and now they have to revert to me with answers.”

Co-convener of the Samiti in Surat Dharmik Malaviya said, “We have got the letter from Nanubhai Vanani, and we are preparing to give appropriate answers to the questions raised by him. The drive of sending letters to all MLAs is on.”