How Parshottam Rupala's speech has reignited Patel-Rajput rivalry in Gujarat's Saurashtra

In Gujarat’s Saurashtra-Kutch—a region that sends the largest number of legislators to the state Assembly, years of caste tensions have resulted in conflicts and even killings.

The agitation by the Rajput community against Union minister and BJP's Rajkot Lok Sabha candidate Parshottam Rupala’s March 22 speech has once again brought the decades-old caste rivalry between the Patels and the Rajputs to the forefront of Gujrat’s political discourse ahead of the 2024 parliamentary polls.

The leader triggered an outrage when he praised the Dalits at the expense of the Kshatriyas or Rajputs. Addressing a small gathering in Rajkot Rupala remarked that erstwhile 'maharajas' succumbed to the persecution of foreign rulers as well as the Britishers.

The Union minister further said these 'maharajas' broke bread with these rulers and also married off their daughters to them. Rajput community members saw the remarks as an insult to them. They have urged the BJP to withdraw Rupala's candidature or face defeat.

Although it is little early to gauge the electoral impact of this agitation, social commentators believe such inadvertent comments may play a role in the overall tally that the Bharatiya Janata Party is expected to win form this region of Gujarat.

Revival of caste rivalries between Rajputs and Patels?

In Gujarat’s Saurashtra-Kutch—a region that sends the largest number of legislators to the state Assembly, years of caste tensions have resulted in conflicts and even killings. One of the most high-profile and talked about killings involve a Patel legislator of the Congress, Popat Sorathiya, who was shot dead in public by a person named Anirudhdhsinh Jadeja on August 15, 1988.

Another such incident which deepened the division was the killing of three Rajputs near Mangadh village in Bhavnagar in 1982. Nearly 20 Patels (Patidars) who were arrested in the case were later acquitted. Rajputs allegedly took revenge by killing nine Patidars of Mangadh two years later.

Kshatriya community members, led by women, gathered at the Vadodara District Collectors’ office to hand over a memorandum against the statements made Parshottam Rupala during his campaign in Rajkot. Carrying banners, the protesters chanted slogans and demanded that Rupala be pulled out of the Lok Sabha race.

In Bharuch, too, the protesters chanted slogans against the BJP and demanded that Rupala’s candidature be withdrawn. The crowd also clashed with the police after the cops foiled their attempt to burn an effigy.

When BJP wrested control from Congress in Gujarat

During the days when Congress dominated the political arena in Gujarat, and particularly in Saurashtra, Rajputs held their sway over Patels despite their numerical disadvantage. But in the mid-1990s, the complete consolidation of the Patels in favour of the saffron party helped the BJP wrest state from the Congress.

Since 1995, the BJP has won seven consecutive Assembly elections in the state. Today, both the Rajputs and Patels firmly support the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Also Read: Congress Lok Sabha 2024 candidates: See full list of 39 names here

The importance of Saurashtra-Kutch in Gujarat’s politics

Saurashtra-Kutch sends largest number of 54 legislators to the state Assembly. Geographically, the region forms two-thirds of Gujarat’s total area. Just like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, deep-tooted caste system is still prevalent in the region.

An important reason that makes Saurashtra different is the centrality of caste divisions in its political lexicon. It has prevented a cross-caste Hindu consolidation that the BJP managed to achieve in other parts of Gujarat.

All the eight Lok Sabha seats in the region are with the BJP since a long time. The focus this time will be on Porbandar, where Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya has been fielded, and Rajkot, where his cabinet colleague Parshottam Rupala will try his his luck. The two ministers have so far reached Parliament through the Rajya Sabha rout

The region has a distinct, dialect, culture and political trajectory. For instance, it was one of the regions where the saffron party  actually lost ground as Modi's power increased both in the state and nationally. This is unlike in Central or South Gujarat where the BJP's dominance has increased under him.

During elections, both the Congress and BJP try to balance between all the different caste groups in the region. In some seats, both parties end up fielding candidates of the same caste group that is dominant in the area, for instance in Porbandar, the battle has mainly been between Mer community candidates.