Patel Rap

Anticipating that Keshubhai Patel’s remarks would be milked by the BJP, the umbrella body of the rebellion, the Sardar Patel Utkarsh Committee, released an advertisement in local dailies on Monday carrying an appeal by Patidar patriarch Keshubhai Patel. Attacking Modi’s “festivals, vibrant summits, narcissistic publicity campaigns, usurping credit for Narmada waters”, it showed a towering Keshubhai, finger raised, with a caption: “Keshubhai is unhappy. He appeals for change.”

The half-page advertisement claimed Keshubhai was still their leader and gave reasons on why there should be a change of government. The advertisement was issued apparently to preempt a BJP one that was to show Narendra Modi and Keshubhai Patel together.

“Within Surat it would have a limited impact on the Surat north seat, but through its over five-lakh families in Saurashtra, it sure will knock off the BJP’s numbers,” says Laxman Dobaria, chairman of the Federation of Gujarat Weavers’ Association. “The Patidars are supporting the BJP rebels and that obviously will hurt the BJP wherever the Patidars form a major chunk of voters. The Patidars grievances include corruption in government although it is commonly believed this is a clean administration,” says a Patidar builder in the city with links to both the BJP and Congress.

He is seconded by many businessmen who have their roots in Saurashtra.

The second factor at play is the Bhavnagar vs Amreli divide. The migrant Saurashtra Patidars in Surat mainly come from these two districts. With the Gajera brothers Dhiru and Vasant belonging to Amreli, and pro-BJP diamond merchants Nanu Vanani, Govind Kakadia, and Mathur Savani belonging to Bhavnagar, the divide is clear. “It might be a coincidence but it is obvious which faction is going to vote for whom,” says Kanjibhai Bhalala, a noted community leader and director in the Varachha Cooperative Bank.

But it’s not as if there is no divide among the Patidars. Age is one of them. Prafull Pansheria, the party’s corporator in the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), is a Patidar in his early 30s and is a Modi supporter. “Modi stands like a wall against difficulties and his image of a doer attracts us,” he says.

The rebel factor

• Patidars or Patels are divided into two communities: Kadva and Leuva Patels

• They constitute about 16 per cent of the population in Gujarat

• A highly prosperous community, in Saurashtra they own most of the groundnut oil mills and cotton ginning mills

• There are about 5-lakh Patidars in Surat

• In 1995, the BJP swept the Assembly elections. The party won 121 out of 182 seats of which 36 MLAs were Patidars. Keshubhai Patel, a Leuva Patel, became Chief Minister

• In 1998, of the 117 party MLAs, 42 belonged to the Patidar community

Keshubhai speaks up

Last week, he said he was still with the BJP but now Keshubhai Patel has apparently decided to participate in the “oust-Modi” campaign. On Monday, before leaving for Surat to campaign, Keshubhai told journalists, “The Utkarsh Samiti has issued an advertisement which carries the statements I have made on different occasions. I stand by it.”

But senior BJP rebel MP from Rajkot, Vallabh Kathiriya, a close confidant of the former chief minister, said, “Keshubhai will not address any public meetings during this visit. He will attend a wedding ceremony there. On Wednesday or Thursday, Keshubhai will visit Jetpur and Rajkot in Saurashtra and attend some social functions there. He will confine himself to social functions, such as wedding ceremonies and religious discourses where he will freely interact with people and discuss the current political situation in the state with them.”