While Chief Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP leaders were holding forth on the current BJP regime’s achievements and backing its decisions before a 75,000-strong audience in Ahmedabad on Sunday, preparations were on in full swing in Surat for what is being viewed as a ‘show of strength’ by the anti-Modi lobby: the Patidar Samaj Sanman Samaroh. With close to five lakh community members expected to attend the June 11 function at Dharukawala College ground, Surat city police have summoned two SRP companies for managing the crowd and the traffic. The organisers have also roped in 3,000 volunteers to help the SRP in the task. While Surat rural police have deputed six mobile units to manage traffic on NH-8, Kamrej, Kosamba and Palsana police have been asked to make special traffic arrangements along the national highway. In the event of NH-8 remaining choked up due to heavy traffic flow towards Surat, alternative routes have been identified for buses from Saurashtra, said Surat DSP Brajeshkumar Jha. While 2 lakh people from Surat are expected to attend the function, another 3 lakh are expected to come in from Saurashtra, said diamond merchant Vasant Gajera, one of the organisers. “Guests from Saurashtra will stay at farmhouses belonging to Surat diamond merchants,” he added. While some Saurashtrian MLAs, including Vittal Radaria and dissident BJP MLA Vallabh Kathiria, who gave Modi’s felicitation function a miss, have already arrived in Surat, BJP MLAs and city corporators are divided over attending the meet where politicians from the Patel community, including former CM Keshubhai Patel, NCP leader and Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and former Deputy CM Narhari Amin, will be felicitated. Of the five MLAs from Surat district, all but BJP MLA Dhiru Gajera and Congress MLA Manish Gilitwala attended Modi’s felicitation ceremony on Sunday. Surat Mayor Kanubhai Mavani said he had been instructed by the state BJP to attend Modi’s felicitation function. When asked if he would attend his own community’s meet in Surat on Monday, Mavani said: “I have no instructions from party higher ups to attend the function. If organising such functions can unify the Patidar community, then they have my best wishes.” Kubernagar corporator Purushottam Mangukia said, “The party is my left arm and the community my right. I have attended the CM’s felicitation and would like to attend the Patidar function, too.” However, labelling the Surat meet as a “political drama and a stunt,” corporator Bhimji Patel said, “I will not attend it.” “We do not expect any MLA other than Dhiru Gajera to attend our meet. We are hopeful of presence of over 5 lakh participants, from within and outside the community,” said Patidar samaj organiser Jivraj Dharukawala. While leaders from the Leuva Patidar community are fully backing the function, the minority Kadva Patidar Samaj, which enjoys Modi’s support, is opposed to it. While community leaders have claimed that the function is a non-political affair, it is being seen as a “show of strength” by Patels.
