It began as a rally in >Visnagar town in Gujarat early July, but two months on, the Patel-agitation for OBC status — with 22-year-old commerce graduate Hardik Patel at the helm — has galvanising tens of thousands of people across the State. Riots, arrests, a curfew and >eight deaths later, the mass movement now appears poised to take on a >national shape .
The Hindu gives you a snapshot of the simmering agitation, the divided opinion on the >controversial demand and a closer look at the man behind the movement.
Who said what
“Our people don’t get jobs despite scoring 80-90 per cent marks, so they are forced to do their own business because of this reservation system”. -- Hardik Patel >Read more
We feel, after watching this agitation, that the government should set up a commission to examine reservations. Maybe restrict it to reservations on the grounds of economic deprivation only. -- VHP >Read more
Until now, Modi was considered the only political ‘neta’ who could pull crowds... Now, Hardik Patel has become the ‘king of crowds… Hardik Patel is a hero of Gujarat... His rallies attract four-five lakh people. -- Shiv Sena >Read more
We cannot provide reservation to the Patels as the Supreme Court ruling has fixed the quota for the Other Backward Classes, the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. -- Anandiben Patel >Read more
Past demands
1
Jats: In a 64-page judgment in March this year, a Bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Rohinton Fali Nariman struck down the March 4, 2014 notification issued by the then UPA government to include the Jats in the Central list of OBCs for the nine States. >Read more
2
Gujjars: Agitations by Gujjars over reservations have been a near-annual event in Rajasthan since 2006. In May this year, the Rajasthan government announced that it would provide the community 5 per cent reservation in jobs. >Read more
3
Vanniyars: In 1989 the Vanniyars - along with several other communities in Tamil Nadu - were given the Most Backward Class (MBC) status. Being the single largest MBC group, this reservation benefited the Vanniyars most. >Read more
