GUJARAT DIARY: Congress will form the government in 2022 says Hardik Patel

There is no infighting in Gujarat Congress and the party is confident of winning the assembly elections in 2022, says newly appointed working president Hardik Patel. In an interview Gujarat Siyasat and siyasat dot net, Patel also says It’s up to the high command to take the decision about CM face of the state from the party. But one thing I can say is that people choose their MLAs and the MLAs decide their leader.

In a question about his challenges as a young leader of Congress and now appointed as the working President of Gujarat Congress, He said that he is  aware that it’s a huge responsibility. It’s a challenge for him  because people are suffering under the misrule of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the last 25 years.Congress  will expose the BJP’s failures in governance and work towards winning the 2022 elections in the state. He  committed to fulfilling the responsibility and living up to the expectations.

Hardik Patel said, BJP used money power to win the 2017 assembly elections. The Congress had 80 MLAs and now we are left with only 65. The BJP bought 15 of our MLAs by spending Rs 20-25 crores. In the next election, we will be very cautious in choosing the candidates. We will only give tickets to the workers who are extremely loyal to the party. Every single candidate will be scrutinised. Sometimes it is difficult to understand the intentions of people.

Now, Assembly elections for eight seats are expected in September,how is he confident of taking on the mighty BJP in its fortress?, this young leader said that this is not an impossible task. There is no democracy in the state under the BJP rule. They level baseless charges against the opposition parties and try to put us in jail. The Congress is not going to indulge in vendetta politics like the BJP. We will go to villages and focus on real issues like unemployment and poverty. In Gujarat, we have more than 50 lakh unemployed youth and the government has three lakh vacant vacancies. Instead of spending crores in the name of ‘Vibrant Gujarat’, the government could have given jobs to young people. Under the BJP government, health, and education sectors also suffered a lot.

 Our focus will be on education, health, and women’s safety.  We are not going to talk about Narendra Modi, Pakistan, or China. Our aim is to work for the 16,000 villages and their development. The people have trusted the BJP for so many years. Now I will ask them to give us a chance. We are confident that we will form the government in 2022, he added.

https://siyasat.net/2020/07/21/analysis-gujarat-congresss-patidar-cardhardik-patelvs-modi-shah-acec-r-patil/

In reply to a question He said that he led the agitation for reservation for the Patidar community and it has benefited everyone in the country. Now that I am in politics, my fight is not about any particular community or caste. It’s about serving the public. My party stands for everyone in the society.

In a question about his main agenda against the BJP In the elections,the newly appointed working President alleged that the BJP government failed to control the spread of the pandemic in the state. There are not enough hospitals or ventilators for the patients. The BJP government couldn’t build any government hospital in Ahmedabad though they were in power for many years. When the high court pulled up the government for the pathetic condition in the hospitals, they changed the judge. In the last five years, they closed 5,000 government schools. Congress wants to construct more hospitals, schools, and colleges in the state. Development doesn’t mean building bridges. It means providing basic infrastructure to the public.

Patel added that It’s up to the high command to take the decision about CM face of the state from the party. But one thing I can say is that people choose their MLAs and the MLAs decide their leader.

 PATIL’S GRAND WELCOME HALTED AT LAST MINUTE

Surat/Ahmedabad: Post the appointment of Chandrakant Raghunath Patil as the state unit president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), workers of the party from Surat and Navsari (Patil’s home constituency) have been working round-the-clock to give a grand welcome to the chief and help write a new chapter in Gujarat’s political history.  A rally had been organized in Patil’s honour at Surat on Friday, which was cancelled by the man himself, due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.

The map of the rally’s route had been designed in such a manner that almost 40 percent area of Surat city could be covered especially the Patidar-dominate and old city areas. A number of cars had also arrived at the starting point of Valak, where workers were standing with a kilometre long party flag to welcome Patil. But, after landing in the diamond city, Patil himself expressed his inability to stand by and let the rally happen amid the COVID-19 outbreak. He also stated that enthusiastic workers may fail to follow protocol which would give rise to an unwanted situation.

Patil said, “The Surat BJP scheduled a car rally to welcome me which was going to be attended by only a limited number of workers while ensuring that social distancing protocol was maintained. But, on seeing the enthusiasm and presence of activists, supporters, we decided to call off the rally in view of the current COVID-19 situation in Surat. I wholeheartedly appreciate the love and affection of the activists and supporters but, we must not risk lives and conduct an event of this scale in the midst of an epidemic.”

People close to Patil called his cancellation of the rally, a political masterstroke. As per their assessment, this will help him to build his image as a leader who cares for the people. Instead of accepting the brouhaha of an impressive welcome, Patil showed character and chose to put his concern of public health before it. This value, which is seldom seen in political leaders, could be the making of a true leader in Patil.

Although, there can be numerous other reasons why the rally was called off at the last minute. One of the glaring reasons could be Congress party’s Hardik Patel, who had put in a request with Surat Police for permission to conduct a rally in the first week of August. Had Patil’s car rally been allowed to happen, Surat Police would not have been in any position to deny Patel permission for his rally.

According to sources, the other catch in going ahead with the car rally was the state high court’s denial of permission for the Jagannath Yatra across the state recently. Also, the guidelines issued by the Union Home Ministry clearly prohibit any mass gathering. Even Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s address to the West Bengal political meeting was done through video conferencing. Therefore, to grant any permission for a rally to welcome CR Patil would have been in direct violation of the COVID-19 protocol.

Since, Surat Police has enforced Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which prohibits gathering of four or more people in public places, granting permission for the rally would have invited a lot of criticism from all quarters.

Meanwhile, the Saurashtra Kadva Patidar Seva Samaj Trust had issued letters instructing its caste members to remove banners or hoardings welcoming CR Patil. The letter signed by Vrajlal Patel expressed that it was not necessary that an entire community would support one political party or leader. If we welcome one leader or party, others will expect the same from us.

If the rally had gone ahead as planned, it would have set a precedent for other cities and district administrations to refer to while granting permission for gatherings or events.

  Gujarat: Goat traders use social media for sales as bakri mandis shift online.

The curbs on transport of livestock from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, as well as the ongoing ban on animal markets and large gatherings, due to the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that local animal farmers are sought after.

In a huge pen, goats of all breeds and sizes are paraded in a way they may be captured on camera. Ashfak Noorani, a goat trader, gives a running commentary on the goats that come before the camera. The herder pushes a red goat – he calls it a Sirohi breed – onto an electronic weighing scale and the goat jumps out. He pushes it again as Noorani reads the weight on the screen and quotes the price off the camera.

Noorani has sourced goats from Rajasthan And Saurashtra, for Bakri Eid on July 31, and kept them in a hired farm in Unn area of Surat. He shares the link of the video that he has posted on YouTube. He ends his commentary with, “Please do not come in crowds to pick your goats and wear masks. We have made arrangements for sanitisers. Come before curfew hours.”

Noorani told this paper, “Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I have brought goats of low budget for customers this year. Today, I have around 500 goats at my farm. I have shared their photos and videos on social media along with my phone number, so that people can see the goats themselves and come to me to make the purchase after selection. We call customers turn by turn so that no footfall takes place at a time.” Last year, Noorani had sold 1,500 goats.

For close to six years, 38-year-old Leela Madi and her family have been raising a dozen goats in their home in a clustered settlement on the banks of Vishwamitri river in Vadodara. Every year, their one-year-old goats fetch around Rs 8,000 each, depending on their size, but the lump-sum amount keeps the Madis going through the year. This year, Madi has already sold four of her tribe for Rs 12,000 each. The higher price, she says, is due to the demand for well-bred goats locally, in the absence of the livestock fair that is a common sight ahead of Bakri Eid.

Madi says, “For about a year, we keep the male goats well-fed, walk along the Vishwamitri swamps to pluck the best tender grass from the midst of the thorns and raise them with utmost care for Eid auctions. This year, it has been different – we didn’t even have to step out. There are local traders coming to us, askiing us to reserve the goats. I have 10 male goats out of which I have already sold four and received advance money for three. The parties said they live in residential colonies and will take delivery only a day ahead of Eid. I have been entrusted to take care of the goats.”

The curbs on transport of livestock from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, as well as the ongoing ban on animal markets and large gatherings, due to the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that local animal farmers are sought after.

Abdul Rashid, a Vadodara-based facilitator of sacrificial goats for Bakri Eid, said, “The rate of sacrificial goats has reduced due to the current situation and financial crisis. Just two days back, a local seller in Panigate area of Vadodara, who quoted a price of about Rs 1.2 lakh for two heavy and handsome Billy goats, had to settle for Rs 60,000 each. In normal times, he would have gotten his price. But this time, the rearers want to sell off the goats they have raised instead of holding them back, because if the goats remain unsold for Eid, they are eventually sold to the butchers. That price will be not more than Rs 200 per kilo then.” Rashid added that although the overall price of the goats have come down, local farmers are benefitting from the marginal increase in price due to the demand.

In Surat, in regular times, lakhs of people visit annual weekly goat fairs and markets (mandis) held in several locations of the district, to purchase the finest bred livestock ahead of Bakri Eid. This year, along with the expansive Ranip Bakra Mandi in Ahmedabad, even Surat will not host any animal fair. About 90% of this livestock comes from Rajasthan and the remaining from Saurashtra and MP. As a result, some local traders are also connecting with their known circle of families seeking sacrificial goats through WhatsApp networks.

While many in the community still prefer to physically inspect the goats before purchase, some traders are relying on WhatsApp to negotiate deals. Leaflets with pictures of sheep and goats have been distributed in homes in Dariapur area of Ahmedabad with butchers’ phone contacts for the qurbani.

Ishaq Qureshi, a Surat-based butcher at Zampa Bazaar, said, “I have many customers from different areas, but movement is restricted due to Covid-19. I have taken pictures of goats and sent it to my friends and others, and even uploaded the photos on my WhatsApp status. I have started getting inquiry about the rates. I deliver the goats to their homes, once the deal is finalized.” (with media input)

  (www.siyasat.net is Ahmedabad,Gujarat, India based website)