By Japan K Pathak(quick note)

It was around two to three thousand odd crowd in Arvind Kejriwal’s public meeting today at Yogi Chowk in Surat.

The area is busy one. If you start giving speech here, you will get 500 people at least in short time. if you work little harder 1,500-2,000 is not difficult figure to achieve.

When Patidar events are held in this area of Surat, the target for community leaders or strong party like BJP or some religious leaders (Ritambhara, Ramdev, Morari Bapu etc) use to be around one lakh. During 2012 assembly polls in Gujarat, Keshubhai and Gordhan Zadafia with their strong anti-BJP agenda could gather 30-50,000 crowd in this Patidar strong area of Surat. The city of Surat is the second largest in Gujarat. Its population as per year 2011 census figures is 45,01,610 or around 45 lakh. If with 2,000 odd people in rally that took place in one single lane of road in area like Yogi Chowk, AAPians on social media jump to conclusion that they have conquered Gujarat, that reminds me of a foolishly looking excited AAPian who day before yesterday standing outside Ahmedabad airport(to receive Kejriwal) on local Gujarati news channel ‘Sandesh News’ was claiming that AAP would win all 182 assembly seats in Gujarat in year 2017 assembly polls.

I remember Kejrwal’s Bapunagar rally in Ahmedabad a few years back. In those days the media nationwide was discussing a bogus propaganda in extra-ordinary high-pitch that Kejriwal would not allow Modi to become Prime Minister. Kejriwal had organized his rally in Bapunagar area. Yogi Chowk and Bapunagar have some similarities. Both areas are Patidar dominated. Both have diamond industry where over lakh people work and stay. Both Yogi Chowk and Bapunagar rallies occupied one lane of busy road. In both cases, AAP’s in-house photographers captured visuals of rally in a fashion that it would look inflated version of actual presence.

In photographs vs photograph activism on social media, some friends in BJP have circulated photographs they claim were clicked in Kejriwal’s rally. The photographs show people sitting with bags. Young Surat MLA Harsh Sanghvi in his tweet indicates that people were brought from outside to show presence in Kejriwal’s rally. Also look at this tweet quoting official handle of AAP Maharrashtra. It makes clear that people for Surat rally were brought not just from outside Surat but from outside Gujarat!

There’s no value of what Kejriwal says these days. So when he was claiming that his rally will see disturbance by BJP, we thought this too was his stunt. But looking at appearance of the stage arrangement one could easily sum up that Kejriwal was actually fearing physical attack here. There was zero area opposite the stage and a big barricade which was guarded by some men who were looking like bouncers. There were either AAP volunteers or trusted bouncers who were not looking like Gujaratis standing on the stage and around it obviously to protect Kejriwal in case of any attack. The rally was peaceful however barring initial phase during which pro-Patidar quota leader Nikhil Sawani and his men showed black flags. They were taken away from the venue quickly. This tweet suggests that this Patidar could have been beaten up by Kejriwal’s bouncers and AAPians.

Some AAPians were boasting on twitter today that how contrary to Amit Shah’s four minute speech in recent Surat function which saw protest, Kejriwal could speak in full length without any opposition. Such AAPians should know that it is generosity of ruling BJP that it doesn’t send its cadre to disturb others’ functions. If it start doing it, then Kejriwal would not be able to even come to the stage. In Gujarat, there has been never a culture to go in someone else’s function and disturb it through violence. What happened in Surat recently in Patidar community function presided by Amit Shah was unacceptable to people of Gujarat who would show their wisdom in future elections. It was Shah and Rupani’s good sense that they instructed police not to lathicharge the rioting agitators, and shortened their speech for the sake of peace in that function AAPians are referring to on social media.

So what Kejriwal has gained through today’s rally? Believe me, beyond social media today and print coverage tomorrow nothing much. He will be allowed to waste more bucks in run up to the assembly general elections in 2017 by people here. His antics and nonsensical attacks on Shah and Modi would make Shah and Modi more sensible and acceptable political choice. Shah and Modi after all are Gujaratis. Modi is the product of Gujarat that has been created by Gujaratis after decades long injustice by Lutyens brigade and years of resistance against all odds since 2002. Kejriwal may take away some votes of Congress party but not much. Kejriwal’s alignation with Patidar movement will further weaken, divide and confuse the movement, as more sensible people would start staying away from it. A fraction of Patidars may form its own political group eventually. The election commission will be able to earn huge bucks through deposit lost by AAP candidates in 2017 assembly polls.

In the past we have seen Mulayam Singh Yadav’s election rallies in Gujarat. They were big. I remember Mayavati’s football ground rally. Nitish and Sharad Yadav’s Janata Dal United has even an MLA in Gujarat who wing repeatedly(he is bahubali leader in Jhagadia area). Ditto Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel’s NCP that has MLA in Gujarat who repeatedly wins(due to collaboration with Congress). AAP’s Gujarat leader Kanubhai Kalsaria has not been able to ensure victory either in assembly or panchayat polls. I don’t see much more than this in Kejriwal so far as Gujarat politics is concerned. He is a Mayoral leader so far and not even a state leader(practically nobody considers Delhi state). I don’t think that sensible number of Patidars would in any case accept Kejriwal as their leader even temporarily. I am wasting my time writing this article and giving this much attention because contrary to inflated version presented by AAP social media team, the right message has to go outside Gujarat regarding this political event.

DeshGujarat