The meeting between the representatives of the Rajput community and the BJP over the controversial remarks made by Union Minister and BJP candidate from Rajkot Parshottam Rupala ended without any truce as the community leaders stuck to their demand for the withdrawal of candidature of Mr. Rupala from the race.
Representatives of various outfits of the Rajput community and representatives of the BJP met in Ahmedabad on April 3 to resolve the situation peacefully amid protests by the community members who have been offended by Mr. Rupala’s remarks during a campaign in Rajkot on March 22.
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Since then, the influential community members have held protests across Saurashtra and demanded that the BJP withdraw Mr. Rupala from the poll race from Rajkot.
In his remark, Mr. Rupala, while praising a Dalit community for not bowing to the persecution of the British, had said that even “kings and royals” had bowed down and started breaking bread with the British and entered into marital relations with them.
This remark has provoked the descendants of the princely families who are out in protests in almost all important places in the Saurashtra region.
“They are firm in their demand for removal of Parshottam Rupala as a candidate,” said former BJP Minister and himself a Rajput leader Bhupendrasinh Chudasama after the meeting on Wednesday.
From the BJP side, Mr. Chudasama and other leaders of Rajput and Kshatriya community met with the representatives of various caste groups of Rajputs.
“We will not budge from our position,” said a leader from Saurashtra.
Apologised twice
So far, Mr Rupala has apologised twice for his remarks and State BJP chief C.R. Paatil also apologised on Tuesday and urged the Kshatriya community to forgive Mr. Rupala.
On Tuesday, former Gujarat BJP president Rajendrasinh Rana, a prominent Rajput leader, also commented for the first time on the Union Minister’s controversial statement and said how could he never think of uttering such words about Rajputs, who have fought and sacrificed against Mughals and others in the past.
“We will hold a few more meetings with the community leaders,” a BJP leader said.
The State BJP has so far ruled out replacing Mr. Rupala as a candidate even though it has replaced two candidates in Sabarkantha and Vadodara due to internal protests by the cadres.
