A RAPE AND A MASS EXODUS
The state is in the grip of xenophobic hysteria as opposition parties seek political advantage
The Congress-Bharatiya Janata Party spat for political space has become decidedly ugly in Gujarat. The ruling BJP squarely accuses Congress MLA Alpesh Thakore of fuelling hatred against migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar following the rape of a 14-year-old girl in Himmatnagar in Sabarkantha district. And even as an estimated 45,000 migrants fled Gujarat, the Congress, rising to Thakore’s defence, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “seeking votes in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and victimising the people of both states [in Gujarat]”.
Earlier, taking a cue from Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in Mumbai, the Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena, headed by the Congress legislator, launched protests in northern Gujarat, resulting in an exodus of migrant workers from Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Aravalli and Ahmedabad. Migrant workers are mostly employed on farms and in private firms in these areas. At Vadnagar in Mehsana district, a mob of some 200 Thakor Sena activists stormed a factory and thrashed migrant workers.
Gujarat BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya alleges the Thakor Sena’s protests have the Congress’s backing, as part of
One of the Thakor Sena’s demands is the ouster of all ‘north Indians’ from jobs in Gujarat
its strategy for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He draws parallels with how the party wooed and cultivated Patidar leader Hardik Patel to estrange a significant section of Patels from the BJP fold. “This is clearly the handiwork of the increasingly divisive Congress. But it will only strengthen us (BJP) as we will be seen as standing for a unified India,” Pandya said.
Besides its outrage over the rape, the Thakor Sena is also demanding the ouster of all ‘north Indians’ from jobs in Gujarat. And even as the protests continue, the state police have registered 56 FIRs and arrested more than 400 people for attacking Hindi-speaking residents in north Gujarat. But reports of Thakor Sena workers invading localities of Hindispeaking residents, shouting “Go back!” and indulging in vandalism, continue to come in.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has assured his counterparts in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that all possible steps were being taken to stem the attacks and stop the exodus. Both Yogi Adityanath and Nitish Kumar called Rupani on October 8 to communicate their concern.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s condemnation of the violence in the state has drawn a sharp reaction from the chief minister. “It is shameful that Rahul Gandhi first incites violence in Gujarat and then condemns it. If he is serious, he needs to take action against his party leaders and workers, who are trying to divide the society by inciting violence,” Rupani said.
Meanwhile, the Kshatriya Thakor Sena, too, has been at the receiving end of civil society groups. It has forced Thakore to issue a statement asking supporters to stop targeting Hindi-speaking migrants. “They, too, are our brothers,” he said in the statement.
Earlier, Thakore dissociated himself from the violence in Vadnagar, but remained firm on his ‘Gujarat for Gujaratis’ demand. “I do not endorse what happened in Vadnagar. Non-Gujaratis are also Indians. I only demand that locals be given more jobs as per the state government’s 80 per cent norm,” he said.