With an aim to win back the women coming out in open against BJP MPs, MLAs and office- bearers in support of Patels’ reservation agitation, the State BJP is likely to activate its Mahila Morcha in creating awareness among them. The party leadership thinks that most of these women do not know about what for they are coming out or what is the objective of their going out. The party may nudge its Mahila Morcha members to go and mingle with agitating women and inform them about the effects of their coming out. Morcha President Dr Jyoti Pandya said that the women are misled by Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Hardik Patel’s propaganda. “They belong to us only but they are misled. We hope that they will be convinced and turn back to our fold,” she said. On whether the Mahila Morcha will take some specific steps to stem this trend of women coming on road, she said the Morcha would do as per the party would direct it to do. Says Hemaliben Boghawala, general secretary of the Morcha, “These women are not informed of this and they don’t know that they not moving in right direction. This is all part of Hardik’s planning to keep women ahead of men as the shield.” [related-post] But, she says, to counter this problem, “Our Morcha may try to contact these women and explain things to them instead of just coming out because their men folk tell them to do”. The area of south Gujarat and Saurashtra are not as much impressed by Hardik as the districts of north Gujarat, she said. Giving the reason, she said, “Women in north Gujarat are comparatively limited understanding of these issues and need proper perspective than women in other regions, that is who this agitation is more visible among women,” she said. Party vice-president Kaushik Patel has said the issue is being tackled. “We’ve issued appeals to them for keeping peace,” he said and added that he was not aware about Mahila Morcha being activated to counter this. State unit president R C Faldu and spokesman I K Jadeja did not respond.
