Gujarat Congress continues to play caste card, after pro-Patidar rally now dharna for SC-ST-OBC

Gandhinagar

After holding a rally for Patidar caste and backing Patidar agitation leader Hardik Patel and others, Gujarat Congress has continued to play caste card in attempt to divide the Hindu block and regain its hold in the state ruled by BJP for nearly twenty years. The party today oganized ‘Swabhiman Dharna’ for the Schedule Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBC communities claiming that the BJP government in the state was ignoring their wellbeing.

“This arrogant BJP government is snatching away rights of schedule castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes so that they do not progress,” said the state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki at dharna place in Gandhinagar.

Solanki was the only Congress leader other than Shankersinh Vaghela to get featured on the banners inside and outside the dharna venue.

“Congress governments in Gujarat had created 20 boards and corporations for the welfare of backward classes. The BJP government is not giving them funds, due to which these organisations are not able to carry out any developmental works for the backward classes,” Solanki said at the protest venue.

“These communities are not beggars. They are asking for their rights and respect in the society.”

Senior party leaders Shaktisinh Gohil and Arjun Modhvadia also attacked the state government over the issue.

BJP, on the other hand issuing a statement in the evening today rejected the claim saying that Congress was trying to whip up caste sentiments to gain foothold in the state which it had lost.

“When the state government is working for the uplift of the last man in the society, the Congress is trying to whip up caste sentiments to gain foothold in the state which is not going to succeed,” BJP spokesperson I K Jadeja said in a press statement.

With inputs fro PTI