“A Patel
student who secures 90 percent, fails to get admission in medical or
engineering courses... But a reserved category student with just 45 percent
marks walks in” – Hardik Patel.
22-year-old Hardik: Igniting a Mutiny |
Sharad
Yadav is one politician who needs to be listened to carefully. From Saharsa,
interiors of Bihar, Sharad Yadav chose to disapprove of the agitation by the Patels and Patidar community in Gujarat for reservation. "The agitation by the
Patel and Patidar caste men is unjustified and wrong as this community has been
quite well off," he said striking a significant break from the line of
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who had supported the movement in Gujarat,
the backyards of PM Narendra Modi.
There’s a
sense of crisis haunting Narendra Modi for the first time since he has
successfully negotiated the hurdles of ‘pseudo-secularism’ (or my favourite
terminology SICKULAIRSM) vis-à-vis the story of 2002. A mere 22-year-old Hardik
Patel has taken away his sleep – even those miniscule 2-3 hours as he had
shared with friend “Barack” (President Obama) last January.
Did Modi not anticipate
such a crisis clouding over in his own home state – when the Prime Minister was
going global and trying to redraw the road map of international polity? If the
massive crowd that gathered in Ahmedabad without his intelligence agencies
giving him the leads, he needs to pull up sleeves and get some heads roll.
If its Modi-Sarkar: He should have few answers |
What
was the super-cop, super-intelligent man – getting daily feedbacks – Ajit Doval
doing all these weeks? ‘Hardik Patel’ as a phenomenon is just two-three-months
creation!
Prior to
2014 general elections – it was also given to understand that Narendra Modi has
a network of his all ‘survey men’ and ‘intelligence network’. So what’s this
Patels – or Patidar stir all about? The massive crowd turnout has raised doubts about the force behind the entire exercise.
Is it the handiwork of RSS and VHP, once a very powerful organisation in Gujarat, who are just not happy about Modi's style of functioning? Or is it just a master strategy to end reservation once and for all and as a RSS man Modi clandestinely approves this?
There's a tiger in the room!! |
None other than Modi himself is aware of the peculiar
strength of socio-political game ball in his own state. He has been always “sensitive”
to this peculiarity and as Chief Minister has always addressed the issues of regional
sentiments of Gujaratis along with their religious bigotry. This was my on-ground
experience during 2002 and aftermath. Therefore, in my first book, ‘Godhra – A Journey
to Mayhem’ I could conclude rather convincingly: “he (Modi) has reasons that
every time he opens (now read opened) his mouth in public – he does not forget
to mention about the “pride” of the five crore Gujaratis”. This jumped to six
crore Gujaratis and by circa 2015, Modi has estimated the numbers – 125 crore
Indians.
Before we
take a closer view on what are the factors those led to Patels’ stir and what
could be the possible implications, it would be prudent to examine the socio-economic
and historical background of the community.
Though, I
am ardent follower of Gujarat polity since 2002, my knowledge about the people
and especially their complex behavior and understanding is very limited. One
version says, Patidar means "owner of land". ‘PATI’ means land and
‘DAR’ means the person who owns it.
In Mehamdavad, Kheda district, around
1700.A.D., the ruler of Gujarat, Mohammed Begdo, selected the best farmer from
each village and gave them land for cultivation. In return, the Patidar would
pay the ruler a fixed income for a certain period of time, after which, the
Patidar would acquire the ownership of the land. The Patidars would hire a hard
working and knowledgeable work force to cultivate the land and in due course of
time, they would become the owners of the land. These Patidars were from then
onwards identified as Patel Patidars.
Here’s one minor
example of complexity, in December 2002 polls, in Saurashtra
region, where Hindu polarization was said to be minimal and Patels were said to
be annoyed with the saffron party for dumping Keshubhai Patel, the BJP
maintained its dominance bagging 37 of 52 seats. In 2012, Keshubhai Patel floated his party to uphold the prestige of his community, yet people overwhelmingly voted for Modi.
Thus, we know
religion (or pro-Hindutva line) or even pro-Namo line formed important facets in their psyche -- something that would be difficult to
comprehend in other parts of India.
So, a
question comes why Hardik Patel says, “if no quota is given to us, Lotus won’t
bloom in 2017”. This threat is serious as aftermath desertion by Patels in Gujarat, Madhavsinh Solanki never struck back and never had Congress any good show either.
Prime
Minister has thus rightly appeared on national television appealing for peace and
dialogue. A picture of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel placed on a shelf behind
him was deliberate and only showed the ‘hurry’ to restore peace.
“It is my
appeal to my brothers and sisters that the occasion calls for a single mantra –
“peace”. Each and every issue can be resolved through talks. We all should follow the spirit of democracy.
We must work together to solve problems through talks and to contribute in
efforts to take Gujarat to new heights,” the ‘Gujarat-ka-sher’ told his home
crowd.
Even as his
trusted aide NSA Ajit Doval was closeted with Home Minister Rajnath Singh and
the latter spoke to the Chief Minister Anandiben Patel trying to explore ways
to bring things under control, questions are being raised everywhere who all
are behind this successful orchestration of Patel power.
“I would
not take this movement lightly at all. It appears to have a deep rooted purpose
to reach a particular goal not necessarily reservation alone,” says Dinesh
Trivedi, a Gujarati himself, but a Trinamool Congress MP from Mamata
Banerjee-ruled West Bengal.
Like,
Trivedi, many are asking almost similar questions, “is the movement against or
in support of BJP”.
Is the
agitation anti-Mandal (reservation) cult of politics – where even Muslims can
walk away with cash stipends?
Is it just
a tip of ice berg of ‘well to do’ Hindu upper caste community’s latent anguish
against the Quota raj system pursued rather unreasonably at many quarters by
the ‘safe’ player of politics?
Wake up call: Pied Piper |
"A
Patel student who secures 90 percent, fails to get admission in medical or
engineering courses... But a reserved category student with just 45 percent
marks walks in... If we are not given our dues, then we shall snatch it,” Hardik Patel has threatened.
Politicians
are either playing cards close to chest or at best playing safe. The Union
Minister Nitin Gadkari, a former BJP president, refused to field questions on
the same at a press conference and merely said, “Prime Minister has already
made an appeal and that should be sufficient”.
Dinesh
Trivedi, with the sharpness of a Gujarati mind has caught the bull by its horns. “Hardik
Patel’s message was loud and clear – either you scrap the entire reservation
policy or give us also the same opportunity,” he wrote in The Indian Express.
Even
others feel, the movement is “gaining support” of the upper castes even in
states like West Bengal and northeastern states and other parts of India – where a large section of people -- upper caste Hindus - feel that their children in spite of being meritorious but being poor, do not
stand a chance in getting admission in colleges or government jobs.
“Is
it the beginning of the clash of so called civilisation? Are we to see clashes
on the streets?,” asks Trivedi. I am hardly a fan of Dinesh Trivedi, but the fellow has his reasons.
Ends
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