Leaders, convenors of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti to meet in Gandhinagar today
The meeting, to be held in Sargasan, will start at 1 pm and continue till late in the afternoon.
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The youths of the community carried out statewide agitations and protests in July 2015, demanding reservation in jobs and education for Patidar youths in government departments. Leaders and convenors of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) of Gujarat, who had led a movement seeking reservation in education and jobs in the state government, are likely to meet after a long gap on Saturday in Gandhinagar to discuss various issues being faced by the people of the community in the state. The meeting, to be held in Sargasan, will start at 1 pm and continue till late in the afternoon.
The youths of the community carried out statewide agitations and protests in July 2015, demanding reservation in jobs and education for Patidar youths in government departments. BJP MLA Hardik Patel from Viramgam seat was the figurehead of the agitations. The protest resulted in the establishment of Economically Backward Class (EBC) quotas in education and government jobs. Vijay Rupani replaced Anandiben Patel as the state’s Chief Minister. In the 2017 assembly elections, the agitation benefited the Congress party, which won 77 seats across Gujarat.
Invitations have been sent to core PAAS members, including Hardik Patel, Alpesh Kathiriya, Dharmik Malaviya, Lalji Patel, Manoj Panara, Dinesh Bamaniya, Varun Patel, Lalit Vasoya, Vishal Vasoya, Reshma Patel, members of the Sardar Patel Group. Besides, co-convenors from different districts and talukas have also been invited. Over 200 community youths across the state will also attend the meeting.
It is worth noting that the frontrunners of PAAS have joined different political parties. Of the 14 core members, Hardik, Alpesh, Dharmik, Varun, and a few others had joined the BJP, while Reshma and a couple of others joined AAP after quitting the NCP. Manoj, Lalit and a few others joined the Congress.
Sharing more details about the meeting, former co-convenor of PAAS, Dharmik, said, “We have called a meeting to take up social issues faced by the community people. Among the main issues to be discussed in the meeting are around 44 criminal cases still pending against Patidar youths, which were registered during the movement. We want such cases to be withdrawn by the state government. A majority of such cases were registered with the Surat police, and a few cases in Rajkot and Ahmedabad.”
“When two people from different castes get their marriage registered with the state government, the government should make it mandatory for people who are related to the bride and groom by blood to sign as witnesses. The purpose is to prevent issues later. Apart from this, there are many more instances of people being harassed and beaten up by moneylenders. Steps should also be taken to tackle the manace of drug addiction among youths. Also, during the last five to six recruitment drives in various departments of the state government, Patidar youths from the EBC were left behind. We will discuss this issue and take suggestions from community leaders to pass it on to the state government.”
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