Gandhinagar: Gujarat BJP chief CR Patil today in a reply to a media query said that party leaders were in talks with the leaders of the Kshatriya community over their agitation.

A coordination committee of Kshatriya leaders is agitating against Rajkot BJP Lok Sabha candidate Parshottam Rupala’s remark. Rupala has apologized for his remark twice. Kshatriya community yesterday held a big rally of over 2 lakh persons in Ratanpar near Rajkot demanding that the BJP withdraw Rupala’s candidature for the Rajkot seat. Rupala is going to file the nomination form tomorrow 16 April.

Meanwhile, the Kshatriya agitation leaders gathered at their community’s facility in Ahmedabad. They later met the Chief Minister, State BJP chief, and Minister of State for Home for talks about the Rupala issue at the Chief Minister’s residence in Gandhinagar. However, no middle path could arrive at the end of the meeting as the agitators were adamant on their single demand of withdrawal of the candidature of Rupala. The agitators thanked the State government for their cooperation in holding the protest rallies. The State government had permitted rallies and made necessary arrangements. The government also admired agitators for holding the rallies in a disciplined manner. As no middle-path could arrive even after proposed by Chief Minister and the State BJP Chief, at the end of the meeting, the government conveyed to agitators that they would convey the feelings expressed by agitators to the party’s high command.

In another development, it is learnt that Rupala along with Wankaner Royal Kesridevsinh Jhala in chartered flight visited Jaipur and held a meeting with Royal families to clear his position. Kesridevsinh is also a Rajya Sabha member of the BJP.

Interestingly, the issue has spread outside Gujarat. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on his Facebook account stated that Rupala’s remark was his individual expression. BJP had nothing to do with it. Kota-Bundi Rajput community is his own family. And he has been with them in every good-bad moment.

Rupala meanwhile on Monday evening while addressing a gathering at Morbi appealed all to join the nomination procession the next day in peaceful manner and leave the venue in disciplined manner after the procession ends. Around 25,000 persons are likely to gather on the occasion of the nomination filing of Rupala in Rajkot.

DeshGujarat