Group offers free mobile calls to network Brahmins

The move is aimed at uniting Brahmins of Gujarat to make them more relevant and powerful in the state politics,which the group says is dominated by communities like Patels and Kolis. The group believes that the Brahmins have been left out in the politics of Gujarat and their voice is not being heard.

“In the last 12 years,Brahmins have been sidelined (in Gujarat politics). This is because they are not united and are scattered in the entire state. So we are trying to unite the community so that political parties hear our voice,” says Bhavesh Rajyaguru,head of Brahmsena,the group which has opted for the CUG plan with Airtel.

As per the group’s estimates,there are around 63 lakh Brahmins in Gujarat.

“We have around a thousand of registered members in our group. Apart from that,there are approximately 20 lakh Brahmin mobile users in Gujarat. Under our CUG plan,any Brahmin can join us after a simple registration and can avail the CUG plan. This would make sure he/she would be able to talk to any Brahmin registered under the plan for free. I believe this would bring the community members close to each other,which is our goal,” Rajyuguru adds.

“Earlier,there used to be a significant number of Cabinet members from the Brahmin community. But gradually,the community has lost its clout and we want to bring it back,” he says.

Initially,the group is focusing on Ahmedabad city and district for the CUG project and plans to expand to other parts of the state subsequently.

Jitu Acharya of Brahmsena,who is handling the CUG connectivity project,says,“We are already running a matrimonial website for Brahmins with around 30,000-35,000 members. So,initially we are targeting these families registered with the matrimonial website. People looking for a proper match can avail of this offer. Subsequently,we would target all the Brahmins in Gujarat.”

Acharya says his father has already opted for the CUG plan.

Ritesh Vyas,a Brahmin from Ahmedabad,is one of the first members who registered for the CUG plan. “I believe Brahmins should unite and therefore I opted for the plan. I also believe the plan can work in connecting the community (in Gujarat),” he says. When contacted,Airtel officials refused to comment.