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‘Johar’ by Rajput Women
On April 6, a group of women from the Kshatriya (Rajput) community threatened to perform ‘johar’ (self-immolation) outside the BJP headquarters in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
The agitating women demanded that the party withdraw Union Minister Parshottam Rupala‘s candidature over his “anti-Rajput” remarks. The police detained five women and Mahipal Singh Makrana, President of Shree Rajput Karni Sena, before he could meet them in Ahmedabad, according to a report by news agency PTI.
Rupala, the BJP candidate from Rajkot Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat, had triggered a row on March 22 when he was heard saying in a video that “kings bowed to the British” and “even gave their daughters to them in marriage.”
Withdraw Rupala’s candidature
Rupala, the Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, has since tendered an apology for his remarks, but the Kshatriya community continues to demand the withdrawal of his candidature.
Kshatriya community leader Raj Shekhawat, the national president of a faction of Rajput outfit Karni Sena, resigned from the BJP after Rupala’s comments.
Rupala’s comments have unleashed protests by the influential Rajput community in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. With 17 percent representation, the Rajput community has always rallied behind the BJP in the past elections.
The backlash against Rupala is not the only issue that the saffron party is dealing with in its stronghold, Gujarat. In fact, recent developments, including the withdrawal of candidature by its leaders and the emergence of anonymous posters, have sparked speculation that all is not well within the Gujarat unit of BJP, otherwise hailed for its efficient organisational structure.
Mansukh Mandaviya facing protests
The crisis in Gujarat comes at a time when the saffron party under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is predicted to repeat its 2019 performance of bagging all 26 Lok Sabha seats from the state in pursuit of its 370-seat national target for the 2024 elections. The BJP won the 2022 Gujarat Assembly polls by winning a record 156 of 182 seats.
In March, anonymous banners carrying pictures of Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Congress leader Lalit Vasoya surfaced in Dhoraji area of Rajkot, under the Porbandar Lok Sabha seat. Mandaviya is contesting against Vasoya from Porbandar in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
A row erupted after it emerged that the posters were, in fact, put up by a ‘BJP worker’ who was apparently upset with Mandaviya’s candidature. The controversial banners were later removed by officials of the Election Commission of India.
Both Union Ministers Mandaviya and Rupala are Rajya Sabha MPs who have been fielded by the BJP to contest the Lok Sabha elections.
Two-term MP withdraws
The party is also reportedly faced with unrest among workers over the choice of candidates for the upcoming polls. At least two BJP candidates withdrew their nominations for the Lok Sabha elections after their names were announced in the list.
Among those who opted out is Ranjanben Bhatt, the two-term MP from Vadodara who was fielded for the third time from the same seat by the BJP. Bhatt withdrew her candidature on March 23, days after posters opposing her candidature over allegations of corruption had surfaced.
The BJP has now fielded Hemang Joshi, the Vice Chairman of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation School Board, as its candidate for the seat that was previously won and vacated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014.
The same day, another BJP candidate, Bhikhaji Thakor, withdrew his candidature from the Sabarkantha seat. Thakor has been replaced by Shobhana Baraiya, a government schoolteacher and wife of former Congress MLA Mahendra Baraiya.
The surname dispute
Thakor’s nomination had led to a dispute over his surname, with social media posts alleging that he previously used ‘Damor’ as his surname. Baraiya’s nomination also sparked protests, with many alleging that turncoats were being preferred over original party workers.
Also Read: ‘Told Congress leaders to stop criticising Adani after…’: Gourav Vallabh slams party
Bhatt’s candidature was publicly opposed by BJP’s Mahila Morcha national Vice-Chairman, Jyoti Pandya, who was later suspended.
Sources said the selection of candidates for the Lok Sabha election is primarily the reason for growing dissent within the local units of the BJP. “Unlike most elections, this time, the parliamentary observers arrived at short notice and all workers weren’t given adequate hearing. They failed to sense that there was strong opposition to Bhatt; otherwise, the party wouldn’t have made such a blunder,” The Indian Express quoted a BJP office worker.
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Published: 08 Apr 2024, 02:56 PM IST
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