Patels build pressure on banks, withdraw money

Stepping up their ‘economic <g data-gr-id="40">non</g>- cooperation’ campaign as part of the OBC quota agitation, members of the Patel community on Wednesday queued up in large numbers at a bank in Sabarkantha district to withdraw deposits and enlisted women to hold protests at government and Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) functions.

Scores of account holders turned up at the <g data-gr-id="42">Kherol</g> village branch of Sabarkantha District Co-operative bank and wanted to withdraw a whopping Rs 9 crore, a demand which the branch apparently found difficult to meet. After threatening to bar entry of politicians in their villages, the Hardik Patel-led Patidar <g data-gr-id="43">Anamat</g> Andolan Samiti, which is spearheading the stir, called upon women to hold protests at the venues of government and BJP functions.

Community members, including women, joined the campaign at many districts across Gujarat such as Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Amreli, Bharuch and Himmatnagar.

“Around 200 members of the Patel community, who are associated with the agitation came to our bank to withdraw money,” said branch manager of the District Cooperative Bank in <g data-gr-id="35">Kherol</g> village, Rakesh Mehta.“We could not give them the entire cash, which is around Rs 9 crore from 3,000 account-holders of the Patel community, so we just gave them around Rs 10 lakh today,” Mehta said.

Mehta said he assured the account holders, led by a former village sarpanch Kamlesh Patel, that the bank will return their entire cash day-after-tomorrow.

The Patel leaders demanding reservation for their community under OBC quota had earlier made an appeal to the people to withdraw money from banks to give a message to the state government, alleging the government has turned a deaf ear to their demand.

In Vadodara, some prominent members of the community withdrew money from banks. "I have withdrawn Rs 10 lakh fixed deposit. <g data-gr-id="36">Government</g> is using our money through banking channel. Now they cannot use that," said Vadodara resident Kanti Patel.

Yesterday, a sum of Rs 20 lakh was withdrawn in a day from a cooperative bank in Vadrad village of Sabarkantha. In Vadodara, BJP leaders, including MP from Chhota Udaipur Ramsinh <g data-gr-id="38">Rathava</g>, MLA Dinesh Patel and the party’s district chief Satish Patel, did not turn up to inaugurate a <g data-gr-id="39">street-light</g> project as the members of Patel community reached the spot and started shouting slogans against the government.

Women members of the community protested against the BJP leaders at several places in Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Amreli, Bharuch and Himmatnagar districts. BJP leaders had gone there to meet party workers of local units as part of preparations for the forthcoming local body polls. The Patel women registered their protest by beating steel plates with spoons at various places.

At <g data-gr-id="34">Halvad</g> town in Surendranagar, some BJP members, who went there for local body polls, had to return sensing the fury of women from Patel community.