By Japan K Pathak

Gandhinagar

As his move has favored BJP, the Congress party and section of media is jointly projecting Gandhinagar Mayor Pravin Patel as villain.

As soon as he switched over to BJP after elected on Congress symbol, a group of Congress workers first attacked Pravin Patel’s house in Gandhinagar and broke glasses of windows. Later Pravin Patel was on two occasions attacked and thrashed by group of Congress members – mostly Councillors.

This(presented below) is one of the hate posts on social media that the state Congress spokesperson has posted. Some of our media friends have liked it on Facebook.

At least couple of local dailies regularly are seen this week using derogatory adjectives for Pravin Patel in headlines.

This TV journo (in video attached below) went to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in Gujarat Assembly complex and nearly cried while complaining against ‘Gaddar’ Pravin Patel before Gandhi’s statue.

Amid conveniently and selectively adopted idealism, what is forgotten is realism. Let’s go through the realistic position here, just for the two vocal groups described above.

In general elections of Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation(GMC) BJP and Congress each won 16-seats. No other Councillor was elected to 32-strong general board of GMC from any third party.

In such scenario there were three possibilities. Either one or more BJP Councillor switch side to Congress or stay absent. Either one or more Congress Councillor switch side to BJP or stay absent. Lottery draw to decide who would become Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

Congress was obviously in favor of third scenario as the second scenario would not be in its favor and first scenario was unachievable for it.

Suppose if lottery draw had happened as per the wish of our section of media friends and Congress Councillors, there could be Mayor from one party, Deputy Mayor from other party or both from same party.

With 16 Councillors on each side how could a ruling party pass budget eventually amid political tug-war?

If Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Standing Committee Chairman are from different parties, how could governance proceed smoothly, looking at the kind of vicious politics we have ?

While common people have virtually accepted the takeover and Congress is doing its politics as that is its job, section of media friends who are attacking Pravin Patel day-and-night should go through this link to read what happened to Porbandar Municipality where people elected equal number of Councillors a few years ago.

Could Gandhinagar afford such mess?

When voters were not united and decisive and could not show collective wisdom giving away a strange verdict, the key agenda post election before the politicians was stability.

It is good that BJP could offer stability with Pravin Patel playing an instrumental role.

Patel has in its one of interviews recently clearly described the situation: Each party won 16 seats. There’s BJP government in centre, there’s BJP government in state. Syncing Gandhinagar for further development was what I choose.

Pravin Patel who has been painted as villain by section of media because he “changed party for position of Mayor” has in a way taken a risk. He is aware that he could face disqualification and court cases. Yet he has taken a decision to switch over to BJP. Good news is , even if he is disqualified eventually, GMC will continue to witness political stability as BJP will have one seat majority over Congress.

If we go to some depth, Pravin Patel was originally from BJP. He left BJP in 2011 when ticket was denied to him in GMC polls. He joined Congress and proved to be a prime factor for Congress party’s victory. Pael was made Standing Committee Chairman. Soon BJP snatched away several Councillors from Congress fold and came to power in GMC. Patel contested again in recently concluded GMC elections from ward number 3. While all other Congress candidates lost in ward number 3, Patel only was victorious from Congress party. Patel argues, if Congress was the reason of his victory the all other Congress candidates from his ward would have won the polls. He continues that it was his personal relations that made him victorious in 2011 and also in 2016, Congress had nothing to do with his victory. In fact fraction of Congress party tried to ensure his defeat, Patel says.

Go to the ward number 3, meet the people and you may have general feeling that Pravin Patel won the poll mainly not due to Congress symbol, but due to his personal connections. He has been director of Gandhinagar Nagrik Sahkari Bank for last 30 years. He claims he has disbursed loans worth Rs 500 crore during all these years. Known as ‘Quality’ as he runs Quality printing press in Gandhinagar, Pravin Patel didn’t take salary and allowances from GMC during his first term as Councillor and for some time as Standing Committee Chairman. He as a rich person says he will take facilities such as car and bungalow for meeting purpose but would continue to avoid taking salary and perks from GMC.

We don’t know future but it can be judged from recent experiences that the present team of BJP has guts to give a stable government. It is likely that one or more Congress Councillors may tender their support to BJP in future. To evade disqualification, Pravin Patel has not left Congress yet officially. If he is disqualified or removed from position by some court order eventually, Standing Committee Chairman Manubhai Patel may replace him, but stability still will prevail.

I was listening to Leader of Opposition Shankersinh Vaghela yesterday briefing media persons in Gandhinagar. Vaghela was criticizing Pravin Patel and suggesting that he should resign first before switching over loyalty. I was wondering as Khajuraho Kaand fame Vaghela was saying it!

And while watching that video of TV journo, I was wondering if that journo so great fan of Gandhi’s ideals could wear Khadi instead of factory-made cloths. Well, he or even I can’t follow Gandhi that way(and in many other ways), so as Pravin Patel who couldn’t follow Gandhi’s ideals in his own way.

While Pravin Patel is popularly called ‘Quality’ in Gandhinagar, I would like to replace this title as ‘Stability’ if he gives it(stability) during his two and half years term as Mayor and even then-after – and he is going to give, otherwise that lottery draw could have pushed Gandhinagar to mess politically and otherwise for sure.

– DeshGujarat