JOIN USThe Patel agitation for reservation may have been marred by violence after police action post-August 25Maha Kranti Rally, but the protest is returning to Gandhian ways if the leaders were to be believed.
After talking tough for over a week in Ahmedabad and Delhi, the leaders of Patidaar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), led by Hardik Patel, are now talking of undertaking a ‘Dandi Yatra’ and peaceful fasts to press for their demand to include Patels under OBC category. “Our agitation from beginning July till August 25 was completely peaceful. The violence erupted post police action. We have been following Gandhian way to protest,” a PAAS leader said. “We will announce dates for Dandi Yatra soon and it will be led by Hardikbhai.”
Besides Dandi Yatra, symbolic fasts too would be organized in different parts of the state. Opposition Congress, meanwhile, dubbed the recent violence as the 15-year Gujarat model of development. It demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister and asked for a probe by a sitting high court judge on the violence. It called the ban on mobile data and social media since August 25 “internet curfew”.
The ban was intended to stop provocative videos from going viral and fanning the violence once again, causing annoyance among the general public.
The government lifted the ban from Monday except in Ahmedabad and Surat with the warning that anyone found uploading pictures of violence will be booked under criminal laws.
Gujarat’s development model also came under attack from the international president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad Pravin Togadia, who pointed out that over 16.5 lakh educated people in the state are unemployed and over 10 per cent people in Ahmedabad live in slums.