The Kshatriya ire against Union Fisheries Minister Parshottam Rupala is unlikely to die down any time soon even as Friday marked the last day of filing nominations. Rupala is the BJP’s candidate from Rajkot.
Rupala, a Kadva Patel, invited the wrath of the Kshatriyas following his address at a programme organised by the Valmiki community last month. At that programme, organised in his constituency, Rupala had said that the Britishers oppressed the Indians and that members of the princely states bowed down to them and even married their daughters to the imperialists. Further, he glorified the Valmiki community saying that they did not give in to the Britishers.
The Kshatriyas have been staging protests across the state and a massive gathering was organised near Rajkot on April 14. They are not willing to settle for anything other than Rupala withdrawing his nomination.
Truptiba Raol, women’s wing president of the coordination committee of Rajputs, told the VoI on Friday that they would give a decisive vote in favour of the opposition. She said that they had earlier decided to field 385 candidates so that the voting is done through the ballots, but then decided against it as it will be a burden on the exchequer and the money will go from the people’s pockets.
‘Cannot tolerate insult to our women’
“We gave away our states when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel asked. But we cannot tolerate our women being insulted,” she categorically said. She was referring to remarks made by Rupala.
Raol said that they have had meetings with the BJP leadership, including Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and state BJP president C R Paatil, in Gujarat. Nothing has resulted from the meetings. She said she wondered to what level the BJP had stooped down. The BJP could change Vadodara’s candidate and a candidate on another seat also, but the party did not change Rupala, who insulted us, she said.
The coordination committee meeting of the Kshatriyas is being held late in the afternoon on Friday where the leaders are expected to announce their future course of action.
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