Arvind Kejriwal reaches Gujarat, faces protest from agitating Patidar community

Arvind Kejriwal reaches Gujarat, faces protest from agitating Patidar community


Ahmedabad: As BJP grapples with ways to contain simmering anti-incumbency and growing public discontent, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is eyeing a serious piece of the electoral cake in Gujarat in 2017 assembly election, albeit with some help from the agitating Patidar community.

The bonhomie between exiled Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) convenor Hardik Patel and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal is for all to see on social media platforms like twitter where Kejriwal is regularly retweeting Hardik Patel’s statement mostly supporting AAP. However, ask either Hardik or AAP spokesperson about a possible engagement, and both break out in blushing giggles of denial.



But sources in both the camps admit that dialogue has been on for some time now and a possible convergence is emerging. Hardik on his part has been less than subtle on twitter to indicate his proximity to Kejriwal.

Sample these:

On October 9, Hardik tweeted alleging that the CM of Gujarat is being remote controlled by BJP National President Amit Shah and has given a free hand to goons and harassing the innocent people. People resisting injustice are being harassed. Kejriwal immediately retweeted the same.

On October 10, Hardik posted a video about a local violence in Kodinar of Gir Somnath district, which was retweeted by Kejriwal.

Kejriwal also retweeted tweets of Hardik on October 11 and 12

On October 13, Hardik tweeted that the Court has reprimanded Delhi Police and asked them not to harass the Delhi MLAs under political pressure, MLAs have come out innocent in most of the cases.

With the speculation on State Government may stop mobile services for few hours on Sunday due to GPSC examinations, Hardik on Thursday tweeted that that BJP has decided to do so in view of the Delhi CM’s rally in Surat. However late at night, Gujarat MoS home issued a clarification saying that such a step is not being taken.

However, it is not just on Twitter, Kejriwal has been trying to woo the agitating Patidars in Gujarat for a while and has extended his support to the agitating faction on several occasions. Interestingly several posters decrying Kejriwal have come up across Surat and Ahmedabad.

While one of the posters carried his controversial tweet where he had shared an article arguing that it is India and not Pakistan that is getting isolated globally post Uri Attack and described him as a hero of Pakistan equating him with Burhan Wani and Hafiz Saeed, another equated him with self styled god man Asaram and said one duped people in the name of religion and another in the name of patriotism.

With the politics of the principal opposition Congress reduced to largely issuing press statements, AAP however according to political observers is legitimately smelling a decent entry into otherwise bipolar polity of Gujarat.

It will not be out of place here to point out that ruling BJP on its part has been far less than able in maintaining any semblance of control over spiralling public agitations. While the Patidar agitation continues to simmer, more than 200 Dalits converted to Buddhism on Dussera. Not to be left behind, OBC SC ST Ekta Manch an umbrella body of the OBC SC ST communities under Thakore leader Alpesh Thakore is displaying belligerence over perceived threat of quota dilution.

Discontent is also finding voice among the contract employees of the state government. As a matter of fact, around 1500 contractual employees of Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) have been on strike for over a fortnight demanding regularisation.

“Actually, a lot of our work is being made easy by the Gujarat Government and we are being given issues on a platter,” chuckled a senior AAP functionary while speaking to ET.