The Gujarat government's move to meet the Patel agitation leaders to pacify them does not seem to have worked as the Patels have intensified the agitation, adopting multiple strategies such as withdrawing money from banks, women holding protest march in small towns and villages, and a mega rally against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New York during his trip later this month.
On Monday, Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and her cabinet colleagues held a >marathon meeting with leaders of the agitation led by Hardik Patel, on the issue of reservation benefits to the community, which virtually dominates State's politics and political economy in Gujarat.
"I have withdrawn three lakh from my account in order to support the agitation. We are fighting for injustice in the present reservation system. Many from our community deserve quota benefits which are available to other communities in the OBC category," said sixty five-year-old Prahladbhai Patel.
"Hundreds of people from our community have started withdrawing money from the banks. The depositors have withdrawn money from banks in Patan, Sabarkantha, Vadodara, Banaskantha districts," said Varun Patel, a spokesman of Sardar Patel Group (SPG), a prominent outfit that launched the agitation in early July along with Patel Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) headed by the 22-year-old Hardik, who has rattled the two decade-old BJP government in the State.
"We have got the permission from the US authorities to hold a rally on September 25th in New York near UN where the Prime Minister will attend the UN General Assembly. Around 10,000 Patel members dressed in white T shirt will participate in the rally demanding quota benefits and also raising the police atrocities on the Patel in Gujarat in the last week of August," Mr. Varun claimed, adding "Wherever the Prime Minister goes in the US, they would protest wearing black T shirt."
On Tuesday, women belonging to the Patel community held protest march on over a dozen places, mostly small towns and villages.
