EDISON: Even as the Patels in Gujarat are agitating for inclusion in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, prominent Patel community leaders in the Tri-State area here feel otherwise. They were of the unanimous opinion that reservation should not be based on the last name of any individual but it should solely be done on the basis of their economic situation.
Chandrakant Patel, president of the Overseas Friends of Bharatiya Janata party (OFBJP) told this correspondent that “for the past 65 years we have given enough opportunity for the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) to raise their standard of living. Now it is time to put them on level playing ground”.
Patel said, “Reservation should not be given on basis of caste or religion. It should be solely based on their economic condition. India cannot afford the reservation policy if it has to open its gate for foreign direct investment”, he added.
Ramesh Patel, Chairman of the Federation of Indian Association (FIA) also supported the view of the OFBJP leader. He said “it is time to abolish the reservation policy. Everyone should be treated equally. The reservation window was only for 10 years but our politicians kept on playing with it for their vote bank policies and India has already paid a heavy price for it thus far”.
The FIA chief also said, “Today if we give reservation to the Patels then tomorrow other castes will also rise and demand the same reservation. It will be jungle Raj then.” He added “people who are economically distressed must be given some preferential treatment like free schooling, free books or free transportation and other amenities but not all”.
“All Patel’s are not affluent and so is the case with other castes who are not so affluent, so there must not be any reservation for any caste but financial aid could be given to the oppressed caste and communities”, he opined. Ramesh was also against the police brutality unleashed on the people and strict action should be taken against all those who are guilty.
Asked if he felt anyone was supporting Hardik Patel, the new messiah of the Patel’s in Gujarat, Ramesh Patel said, “he felt there was some political game plan in the entire agitation as a 22-year old cannot do such micro-management of an agitation of such magnitude. This entire agitation should be investigated by an independent agency so that the truth can come out. It was also wrong on part of Hardik to say that he would love if he could be identified as Sardar Patel. In the next 1000 years another Sardar Patel will not be born and this was a publicity stunt by Hardik who has very little standing in the community, leave aside in the country”.
Chandrakant Patel of Chowpatty restaurant and past president of the Indian Business Association (IBA) also felt that “the entire agitation was uncalled for and seemed as a political scandal. He was not sure who the bigger players were. There is no doubt that looking to the way the entire agitation was planned and implemented, it is clear that lots of money power was being unleashed.”
According to Chandrakantbhai, “it was clear that the agitation was aimed at creating a rift between communities for petty political gains as the Patidars would not fight for a cause which has no constitutional backing. I would also like an independent inquiry in the way the police handled the situation. It reminded us all of the Navnirman agitation during the days of late Chief Minister Chimanbhai Patel and also the agitation that robbed Madhavsinh Solanki of his chief ministership in 1984.
While the issue of quota issue has united the Patel community, it has also pitted them against other communities. In Gujarat, 146 castes and communities are under the OBC category. These communities are conscious of the fact that the inclusion of Patels in the OBC list would effectively mean that the lion’s share would be grabbed by the community and the needy ones would continue to be deprived.
The Patel, Leuva and Karva communities have substantive landholding, wide ranging business interests and interests in both trade and industry. Politically, Patels have been single most dominant community for past several decades. They constitute around one fifth of the 182-member Gujarat legislative assembly. Half dozen MPs from the state are from the community.
Chief Minister Anandiben Patel is from the community. Saurav Patel, Nitin Patel and Rajni Patel are among most powerful ministers holding charge of most critical departments.
Their total strength in the council of ministers is far more than any other community. Seven members of the community have been chief ministers in the past. Chimanbhai Patel was the first one from the community to become chief minister way back in 1973 and held the post twice. Babubhai J Patel and Keshubhai Patel also held the Chief Minister’s post twice each. Anandiben Patel has been in charge of the state since Narendra Modi left to become Prime Minister.
Incidentally, the Patels were opposed to OBC quota when VP Singh implemented the Mandal Commission recommendations. They have obviously reversed that position. There is a feeling among the Patels that it is all right to be in commanding position in politics but that power is only temporary as elections have to be held every five years. They now believe an entry into government services through reservation will give them permanent positions of influence.
In the last few decades the Patels have virtually come to control 80 percent of private educational institutions in Gujarat and can very well accommodate young boys and girls from their community in the 25 percent management quota they have at their command, but they won’t do so, a BJP leader said.
Reservations are justified because of the social oppression of certain communities. This oppression has resulted in a lack of opportunity over generations. This has to be reversed over generations, and space has to be created for those communities to integrate themselves socially and economically into the mainstream.
After Patel community, Brahmins in Gujarat have mounted pressure on the state government by seeking reservation in education and jobs for their economically weaker members. After holding meeting with the representatives of 400 sub-castes of the community, the All Gujarat Brahm Samaj has prepared an agenda of their demands, which includes reservation to economically weaker members. Their other demands include setting up of a board to look after economically weaker Brahmins, reservation to Brahmin students in education sector among others.
Brahm Samaj president Shailesh Joshi told this correspondent the community did not want a specific quota as such as is the case with Patels who have sought reservation under OBC quota. He said their body wants government to grant reservations to any community solely on the criterion of economic condition in future.
“We are supporting their movement because the man (Hardik) is talking about having a re-look at castes which have had reservation for many years. There’s a need to review it now, said Himmat Singh Gujjar, a community leader and close lieutenant of Col Kirori Singh Bainsla, the man who has spearheaded the Gujjar quota stir. “There are castes, which are no longer backward, neither socially nor economically, because of quota benefits over the years but they continue to claim entitlement.”
Sudhir Vyas
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