Ahmedabad

OBC Ekta Manch, the umbrella organisation of various community organizations of the other backward classes category in Gujarat, today warned the Navsari district administration and the state government that if Patidar Anamat Aandolan Samiti (PAAS) convener Hardik Patel is allowed to take on his hyped reverse Dandi March tomorrow then people from the 70 villages around the historic place would also take out their ‘Pratikar rally’ even if official permission for it was denied.

The outfit also warned the 182 MLAs of Gujarat to teach them a ‘lesson’ in the 2017 assembly polls if they supported the PAAS agitation demanding inclusion of politically strong Patel or Patidar community in the OBC category for reservation benefits.

Addressing a press conference here the OBC Ekta Manch convener Alpesh Thakor alleged that the state government was supporting Hardik Patel’s ‘anarchist’ and fear-spreading agitation. ‘The government was taking soft stance against Hardik Patel, whose anarchist movement was creating class conflict in this peaceful state and was creating a rift in the social fiber and spreading fear too. The government must take strict action against him when he talks of unlawful ways like taking out the reverse Dandi march. It shows that the government was supporting him,’ he said.

Mr. Thakor said that permission for such a march should never be granted. If it is not granted the Pratikar rally would also not be taken out. ‘ Otherwise I would myself join the Pratikar rally to oppose the Hardik’s march. We would straighten the things by a straight march towards Dandi in protest against the reverse march of the anarchist PAAS leader and the government would be responsible for any untoward situation arising owing to it,’ he said adding his outfit has taken note of those MLAs who have supported the PAAS agitation and would teach them and all others who go with it during the next assembly elections in 2017.

‘Population wise the Patidars or Patels are only 12 percent while the OBC, SC and ST are almost 78 percent in Gujarat . Most of the 182 MLAs in the state have won due to our support and now if they support those who talk of snatching our share then we would certainly teach them a lesson. That is for sure. The re-election of the 44 Patidar MLAs would become doubtful. We are peace loving people treading the Gandhian path and are like a calm ocean that don’t want anyone to create a storm in it. Despite our huge number our representation in the state government jobs was less than 15 percent while the population wise 12 percent Patidars have grabbed 44 percent jobs. Overall 52 percent government jobs in the state were with the 22 percent general category candidates including the Patidars. Now you are asking OBC status which is not fair. The rights of the majority should not be suppressed for a handful of people. We are not against a better package for the economically backward sections across all the castes,’ the OBC leader said.

Our outfit would start a statewide massive survey from January 1 next year to assess the actual situation of the people of the OBC, SC and ST category in the state. We would find out how much benefit from the government schemes was actually reaching them. What kind of corruption was there in the implementation of our welfare programmes and other details and latter make our findings public. The government must understand that despite being a majority we are peace loving people but we can’t be fooled. If it has to regain the power it must serve us well during the remaining two years time, he said.

Hardik Patel, the PAAS convener whose detention on August 25 sparked state wide violence that claimed 10 lives, has announced to start reverse Dandi March’, an over 350 km long proposed on foot journey from Dandi to Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad (just opposite to the course that Mahatma Gandhi undertook 85 years ago to challenge the salt law of British regime) tomorrow to press for his pro reservation demands. He was earlier denied permission for the march on September 6 and has so far not got the official permission for tomorrow’s march so far. Prohibitory orders under section 144 has been imposed in and around Dandi to avert any untoward incident or clash between the two factions.

DeshGujarat