Worried PM "urgently summons" ex-Gujarat CM Anandiben following BJP's flop show at Surat Patidar meet

Anandiben Patel at Surat BJP meet

By Darshan Desai
The shocker that the Gujarat BJP received in presence of party president Amit Shah in Surat on Thursday night, when its first attempt to grapple with the agitating Patidars came a cropper, has led to a worried Prime Minister Narendra Modi urgently summon ousted Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel to Delhi.
Anandiben, who had to unceremoniously go just over a month ago, left in a private plane on the call of the prime minister for an urgent meeting, sources close to the development revealed.
Anandiben was present on the dais when young Patidars disrupted a rally that was billed to be the party’s show of Patel strength, forcing Amit Shah, chief minister Vipay Rupani and state BJP president Jitu Vaghani cut short their speeches to minutes. Such a show of protest is unusual for the BJP in Gujarat.
The ‘rajasva samaroh’ or royal felicitation of Patel legislators was organized by top real estate developers and diamond merchants of Surat to express the community’s confidence in the BJP government, and also to send out a message to the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) led by 23-year-old Hardik Patel that the Patidars had returned to the BJP.

The show of strength, according to reliable sources, was the brainchild of Amit Shah.
The state government had pulled out all stops to make the function a success. But it all came a cropper following ruckus at the meeting with Shah, chief minister Rupani, Jitu Vaghani and union minister Parshottam Rupala to cut short their speeches and make a hurried exit.

Amit Shah at Surat BJP meet

The police caned the mobs and burst teargas shells to quell rioting protestors. Among those watching the proceedings was former chief minister Anandiben along with other Patel legislators of the party.
Anandiben had quit just over a month ago, ostensibly for the inability of her government to ‘tackle’ the Patidar and later the Dalit agitation. The coup of her ouster and replacement with a novice minister of her cabinet, who had only a few months ago been made state party chief, was attributed to Amit Shah.
Vijay Rupani is Amit Shah’s protégé and Gujarat; for all practical purposes, Gujarat is now seen as under Shah’s proxy rule.
All through Narendra Modi’s over 12-year-long rule of the state, Anandiben and Amit Shah were considered his closest confidantes, but both remained daggers drawn. Even as Modi moved to Delhi to take over as prime minister, he ensured the chief ministership for Patel and the national party’s presidentship for Shah.
But that did not reduce their political rivalry. Even their supporters have remained at loggerheads.
Even after the change of guard in Gujarat, those considered close to Anandiben, whether politicians or civil servants, are in the process of being edged out. This has reportedly angered Anandiben and is not expected to let go any chance to get even with her political detractors within the party.

Patel agitators at Surat meet

Sources close to her claim it is with this in mind that she has so far turned down offers of other good placements including those as Governor.
The setback at Thursday night’s Surat event is cause for her to smirk. It was the turn of Shah to face the heat. A former home minister, Shah had ensured massive police presence at Surat. Two Inspector Generals of Police, one DIG, six DCPs, 13 ACPs, 29 inspectors, 70 police sub-inspectors, besides 2,000 policemen. But this could not deter the PAAS supporters.
The function was an issue of prestige and a target of one lakh audience was set, but over 15,000 turned up. The episode is an indicator that the BJP has a problem at hands in terms of a major vote bank which cannot be wished away.
Also that the damaging charges being leveled against Hardik Patel recently of bungling of PAAS funds and autocratic behaviour, through some of his supporters, have not dented his popularity. The PAAS, in turn, has got a shot in the arm.

Comments

Call to support IIM-Bangalore professor, censured for seeking action against Uniliver

Counterview Desk
Sections of the Indian Institute of Managements (IIMs) across India have strongly reacted to the decision to censure Dr Deepak Malghan, a faulty at IIM-Bangalore. Prabhir Vishnu Poruthiyil, who is faculty at IIM-Tiruchirapalli, has sought wider solidarity with Dr Malghan, saying, "The administration has censured Deepak for merely suggesting a meaningful action against Hindustan Unilever for their abysmal environmental record" by “disinviting” it for campus placement.

Actionable programme for 2019 polls amidst lynch mobs, caste violence, hate mongering

Counterview Desk
Reclaiming the Republic, a civil rights network, has released a document prepared under the chairmanship of Justice AP Shah (retired) -- and backed, among others, by Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan, bureaucrat-turned-human rights activist Harsh Mander, economist Prabhat Patnaik, Right to transparency activist Anjali Bhardwaj and social scientist Yogendra Yadav (click HERE for full list) -- with the "aim" of putting forth policy and legislative reforms needed to “protect” and “strengthen” the Constitutional safeguards for India’s democratic polity.

Noam Chomsky, top scholars ask NRIs to take stand on human rights violations in India

Counterview Desk
Renowned world scholars, including Noam Chomsky, James Petras, Angela Davis, Fredric Jameson, Bruno Latour, Ilan Pappe, Judith Butler, among others, have issued a statement castigating the Narendra Modi government for allegedly creating an environment of fear through arrests, intimidation and violence.

India under Modi "promoted" crony business, protected financial fraudsters, fueled bigotry

By Sandeep* and Rahul Pandey**
Narendra Modi's ascension to power was accompanied with jubilation and expectation. His supporters were expecting an end to era of corruption and initiation of good governance which was described as Achche Din. His party's adherence to idea of nationalism was believed to make India a vibrant country and guide India to be a world leader. He gave the slogan of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' conveying that his government was for all.
Corruption The government system is infested with corruption. A minimum of 10% is siphoned off from government schemes and projects, some of which goes back to political party in power and remaining is pocketed by various administrative, executive and political functionaries. This corruption continues and has increased. Now an additional Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) person working as Official on Special Duty or some equivalent position in every government department also has a share in this booty.
The Narendra M…

Inviting Rajapaksa to India "insult" to 1,40,000 Tamils killed by Sri Lankan army

Counterview Desk
In the context of Sri Lankan opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa being invited in India, about 75 human rights activists*, claiming to be concerned about rights violations during the civil war in Sri Lanka, especially in 2009, have joined together to express their dissent through a statement.

A Godse legacy? BJP rulers have "refrained" from calling Gandhi Father of the Nation

By Dr Hari Desai*
What an agony! On one hand, the entire India is celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but on the other side, so-called Hindu Mahasabha members have been found mock-enacting the killing of the Mahatma and celebrating the murder by distributing sweets!

No aadhaar, no ration? Hard blow by Gujarat govt on poor and marginalized

By Pankti Jog*
Only those who have aadhaar registration and linked it with ration card will get ration from a Public Distribution System (PDS) shop. This decision of the Gujarat government has hit very badly thousands of poor and marginalized communities of Gujarat, especially during the drought year.

Post-advisory, Govt of India appears reluctant to ban e-cigarettes, "harmful" to kids

By Rajiv Shah
Is the Government of India dilly-dallying over the issue of banning e-cigarettes, which have been declared by anti-tobacco activists across the world as providing “an entryway to nicotine addiction”, especially among the kids? It would seem so, if the latest developments are any guide.

Not just Indian women engineers, men too face sexual harassment at workplace: US study

By Rajiv Shah
A recent research, carried out jointly by two US-based non-profit organizations, Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and Center for WorkLife Law (WLL), based at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, has found that 45% of women engineers as against 28% of men engineers complained that it was perceived as “inappropriate when women argued at work, even when it was work-related.”

Poser to Modi: Why is Gujarat not fulfilling Constitutional obligations to minorities?

Counterview Desk
In an open letter, Mujahid Nafees, convener, Minority Coordination Committee (MCC), a Gujarat-based civil rights organization, has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi on infringing upon MCC activists’ constitutional right to protest. Nafees says, they had no other demands except that the Gujarat government should move towards fulfilling the constitutional obligations towards minorities and international treaties to which India is a signatory.

Search This Blog