BJP will face Bihar-like whitewash in Gujarat local body polls

Linking the Nitish Kumar-led grand alliance’s stellar victory in the Bihar Assembly elections to caste politics, Patels in Gujarat on Sunday termed the poll outcome as their community’s “revenge” against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Patidar Anamant Andolan Samiti (PAAS), which is fighting for inclusion of their community under the OBC quota, said the BJP would face a similar “whitewash” in the upcoming local body polls in Gujarat.

Atul Patel, one of the PAAS conveners, said Patels in Bihar, known as Kurmis, have given a befitting reply to the BJP in response to the treatment meted out to the Patel community in Gujarat by the state government.

“The BJP-led Gujarat government has been committing atrocities on our community. Now, the Patel community in Bihar, known as Kurmis, has taken the revenge from the BJP by giving a huge mandate to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is also a Kurmi. Kurmis have given a befitting reply to BJP through this mandate,” Patel said.

The Patels had led an aggressive campaign for inclusion of their community under OBC quota in Gujarat under Hardik Patel, who is in jail for sedition charges, and in his absence Atul Patel is spearheading the campaign for quota.

Patel said the BJP would face a similar defeat in the local body polls due later this month.

“Just like Bihar, Patels will show their strength in the upcoming elections here and uproot the BJP. We will vote against every BJP candidate, even if they are from our community. It is certain that BJP will face complete whitewash in the elections,” he said.

He said the community will not forget the “martyrdom” achieved by nine members from the community who died in violence that erupted after the mega rally on August 25.