In the face of ongoing internal discord within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat, efforts to resolve the conflict have been met with resistance. BJP state president, CR Patil, has been actively trying to alleviate tensions within the Kshatriya community following controversial remarks made by BJP candidate Purushottam Rupala. Despite these efforts, former BJP state president and ex-MP Rajendra Singh Rana has indicated that protests will continue.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Patil called upon members of the Rajput community to forgive Rupala, the Union Minister and BJP’s candidate for the Rajkot Lok Sabha seat. “Rupala has apologized thrice for his remarks, yet the Rajputs remain upset. In an attempt to find a solution, we held a meeting today with our Chief Minister and the party’s Rajput leaders. We believe that since Rupala has already apologized, the community should show magnanimity and forgive him,” Patil stated.
In addition to this, Patil organized a meeting with the party’s Rajput leaders, in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, to seek a resolution aimed at placifying members of the Rajput or Kshatriya community.
However, on the same day, during a Kshatriya convention at the Navapara Rajput Hostel in Bhavnagar city, Rana expressed his support for the Kshatriya community’s protest. “Rupala’s comment, which praised one community over another, has deeply hurt our community, sparking anger. We are now protesting… The Rajput community has safeguarded our nation’s cultural heritage for generations and will continue to do so. His remarks about our ‘Roti’ and ‘Beti’ made me wonder why he made such a statement,” Rana said at the convention.
Rana further added, “The community is on the verge of agitation today… The decisions made by our coordinating committee will be accepted by all of us. We will all accept the outcomes of this struggle. I am hopeful for a favorable outcome.”
Despite numerous attempts by the ruling party to quell the unrest, protests against Rupala by the Kshatriya community continued throughout Gujarat on Wednesday.
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