On Tuesday, the 21 year old guy dent ripples to Narendra Modi and Gujarat Government. Addressing amass gathering at GDMC rally ground in Ahmedabad, Hardik Patel attacked Gujarat government for turning down their demand for giving OBC status to Patels and warned that protests would turn violent if their demands are not met. Patel, a B.Com graduate, helped his father run a small submersible-pumps business in rural Ahmedabad. He was a member of the Sardar Patel Group (SPG), a leading Patidar youth body. He was one of the leading supporters of Sardar Patel statue by Gujarat government. Later on, he disconnected himself from the SPG and formed his own organisation – Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS). Patel feels that Patidars are lacking behind in the development race because of the present reservation regime. Patidar students with 90 per cent marks does not get admission in an MBBS course, while SC/ST or OBC students get it with 45 per cent marks. The 1931 caste census states that Patels constitute 15 per cent of the state’s population but since its formation in 1960, the community dominated the political and financial power of the state.
Way back in 80s, Patel community rallied against Congress party to remove caste based reservations. Patels played a crucial role in overturning Congress rule in Gujarat and helped BJP to come in power. Caste based reservations are still there. It started when a son of a farmer from Patidar caste with 90 per cent marks, couldn’t get into medical school, whereas an OBC caste student was admitted into medical college with less marks. Now, the farmer would have to cough up large sums of money to get his son admitted into a private medical college. One needs to understand that not every single Patel is affluent. There are two extreme Patels in Gujarat, one are richer whereas some belongs to a lower middle class and under privileged. Apart from the fact that the BJP depends on the Patels for its grip over Gujarat, the Anandiben Patel’s government in the state is stuck in a Catch-22 situation. Not just her, but 6 other members of her rather lean 18-member Cabinet belong to the Patel community. Of the 120 MLAs in the Gujarat Assembly, 40 are Patels. So, to say the community is under-represented in government or in the bureaucracy would be grossly inaccurate.
This 21-year-old Hardik Patel grabbed the headlines when he took to the streets demanding inclusion of Patel community in the Other Backward Castes (OBC) quota. Hardik launched the movement because he demanded that Patel community be counted as one of the socially and economically weaker communities in the state. Patel has now become the face of the movement and has been holding massive rallies in small towns and large cities for the past two months with the warning that they can make and break governments in Gujarat. The section of Patels who did not abandon farming for other businesses, feel they’ve got a raw deal.
Discontent rose gradually among the Patels under Narendra Modi as he did not favour any one caste in his 13 years as Chief Minister. In comparison, the community wielded more clout under Keshubhai Patel during his years as CM briefly in 1995 and again between 1998 and 2001. Protesting Patels argue that if the community can fall under the OBC category in states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, then why not in Gujarat.
Nevertheless, the immediate catalyst to this sudden grouping and massive following by the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti seems to have been the state government’s recruitment drive for permanent jobs. Posts were being filled up after a three-year gap, and those protesting feel the Patels did not get enough jobs. The Patels form roughly 18-20% of Gujarat’s population. Since the mid-1980s, this group has been united and unwavering in its support for the BJP.
Caste based reservations are inherently wrong. When we say that caste is abhorrence to a civilized society, how do you justify caste based reservations? It was originally meant to secure social justice to the marginalized sections of society. If after 68 years you have not been able to secure social justice, it is a good bet that you will never secure social justice down this road. Better admit your mistake and reverse course. At most, it has helped certain segments of the backward castes to spoil the corner at the cost of other backward castes. Secondly, it is known fact that reservations come at the cost of merit. The issue here is not reservations by itself, but the fact that by inducting huge numbers of the less meritorious into public service, we have compromised seriously on development and economic progress. Thirdly, serious agitations like the Gurjars in Rajasthan and the Patels in Gujarat arise only because of the competitive urge to declare one backward only to secure government jobs. This gives rise to major law and order breakdowns, apart from creating unwanted social fissures. It is only a matter of time before the reservation policy breaks down due to its own contradictions.
