CM Bhupendra Patel releases book on kingdom of Patidars in Ahmedabad
'The freedom struggle started with the non-cooperation movement, while today's time is of prosperity through cooperation. The development of a society where people are united with each other through cooperation, sympathy and mutual trust, continues to move forward,' he said.
CM Patel said there is strength in unity, adding that when people work together, the biggest tasks can be done easily as collective strength is more impressive than individual strength.
'Gujarat is making progress in every field today due to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For this, the Prime Minister has given priority to matters ranging from cleanliness to semiconductors and green energy,' he said.
Talking about the nine resolutions by the Prime Minister, Patel said that the former has already started campaigns to tackle the challenges ahead in the future. 'We have to keep our heritage alive along with the development of the country by making cleanliness a habit. He had asked to increase the green cover through campaigns like 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' to defeat the challenge of global warming and to develop the habit of water conservation in the future generation through campaigns like 'Catch the Rain',' he added.
President of Vishv Umiya Foundation, RP Patel, said that at the time of Independence, there was only one indigenous kingdom of Patidar community in Patdi. 'Today, everything from ploughs to helicopters is being built by the people of this community. Temples are centres of power.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
In Gujarat, Patidar pitch for Cong chief post grows as key faces reach out to Rahul Gandhi
Days after Shaktisinh Gohil resigned as the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president owning moral responsibility for the party's defeat in the recent Visavadar and Kadi Assembly bypolls, a slew of the party's Patidar faces have demanded that a leader from their community be named the new GPCC chief. At least 28 Patidar leaders from the Congress, including several former MLAs and MPs, met at a farmhouse in Ahmedabad on July 1, following which ex-MP Virji Thummar wrote to Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over their demand. The meeting concluded that as the Congress has long 'sidelined' Patidars in its Gujarat politics, the appointment of a Patidar leader at the helm of the GPCC would boost the party's prospects in the state, sources said. Some leaders claimed that 'a section of Patidars is not very happy with the ruling BJP, so they could return to the Congress if the party gives its leadership to a Patidar face', sources said. In the post-Narendra Modi period in Gujarat, the Congress put up its best performance in the 2017 Assembly elections on the back of the Patidar quota agitation led by Hardik Patel. Patidars, listed in the general category, are considered a politically-influential community in Gujarat, given their numerical strength as well as dominance in several major sectors including agriculture, trade and education. The community forms the core of the BJP support base in the state. Their alliance however came under severe strain during Patidars' 2015-17 stir demanding that the community be put in the OBC category and be extended the attendant benefits of reservation in government jobs and education. In the 2017 polls, the Congress won 77 of 182 seats while the BJP's tally plunged to just 99 seats. In the 2022 polls, however, the BJP regained the Patidar community's support, registering its best-ever performance by bagging 156 seats against the Congress's 17. The current BJP's Chief Minister is a Patidar face Bhupendra Patel. The Gujarat Congress has mostly been headed by the OBC leaders, its last Patidar president being Siddharth Patel, son of ex-CM late Chimanbhai Patel, who held the post during 2008-10. The tallest Patidar leader to hold the post and for the longest period was its first president Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who remained the GPCC president from its inception in 1920 until 1946. The last time a Patidar leader held a key Congress position in Gujarat was during 2018-2021 when Paresh Dhanani served as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader. The July 1 meeting of the Congress's Patidar leaders lasted for three hours, with the attendees including Virji Thummar, ex MLAs Lalit Vasoya, Lalit Kathagra, Gitaben Patel and Pratap Dudhat, ex-Mahila Morcha chief and Virji Thummar's daughter Jenny Thummar, among others. Senior Patidar leaders such as Siddharth Patel, Paresh Dhanani, and Ashok Adhewada, gave the meeting a miss due to 'personal and social reasons'. Sources said the invitation was extended to 34 Patidar leaders of the state Congress, of whom 28 attended the meeting. In his letter to Rahul Gandhi, Virji, former Amreli MP, stated: 'We are seeking an appointment with you to discuss the present situation of Congress in Gujarat and how the caste equation and balance are much needed… for the better performance of the party in the upcoming elections (and) for a more inclusive party politics. Please accept our proposal and call us soon for a meeting.' Talking to The Indian Express, Virji said, 'In the July 1 meeting, it was discussed how the Congress could get the Patidar community's support back, which was earlier a strong vote bank of the party. We concluded that if the Congress appoints a Patidar leader as the GPCC chief, the community could get reconnected to the party. There are over 11% Patidar voters in Gujarat. Patidars are financially strong, and other castes also support them. The community is very unhappy with the present BJP. If the community is given respect by making one of their leaders as GPCC president, we are sure they would return to the Congress.' Virji also said, 'Before writing the letter to Rahul Gandhi, I called up AICC's observer for Gujarat Mukul Wasnik and shared the conclusion of our community leaders' meeting… Wasnik said he has sent our meeting proposal to Gandhi.' Lalit Vasoya, ex-Dhoraji MLA, told The Indian Express: 'The GPCC president's post is lying vacant now and no Patidar has been chosen for it for a long time. So why can't we seize the opportunity and make our case to Rahul Gandhi.' Paresh Dhanani said, 'The Congress should appoint such a leader as the GPCC chief who is affiliated to the party's ideology. In Gujarat, political leaders indulge in casteism and communalism, but the voters do not believe in them. Patidars have been left out from the posts of GPCC president and LoP (CLP leader) in Gujarat for a long time, barring the stints of Siddharthbhai Patel and me.' He also said, 'In the 2017 elections, the Congress secured 77 seats, largely due to the Patidar quota movement, which had spread across the state. Patidars were unhappy with the BJP, so they backed the Congress. The Patidar votes are influential in 106 seats, which include 33 seats where the Patidar candidates from different parties contest against each other. If a Patidar is made the GPCC chief, it would impact the state's political equations and benefit the Congress.' Jenny Thummar said the July 1 meeting focused on regaining the Patidar votes for the Congress. 'The party appointed 41 DCC chiefs, of whom seven are Patidars. Our meeting discussed ways to support them and strengthen the Congress organisation. A key point was how a Patidar GPCC chief would bolster the party.'
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
ACB files chargesheet against MLA, others in cash-for-no-query scandal
Jaipur: Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) filed a chargesheet Wednesday against Jaikrishn Patel, who represents the Bagidora constituency in Banswara district, and three others. They were arrested on May 4 in a first-of-its-kind 'cash-for-no-query' scandal in the state. ACB has kept the investigation pending against Rohitash Meena, the personal assistant of the MLA, as he is on the run since the trap in which the legislator was allegedly caught accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh in the parking lot of the MLA quarters near the state assembly building. ACB prosecutor Shalini Gautam said the chargesheet has retained the sections of Prevention of Corruption Act under which Patel and others were charged in the FIR filed after the trap operation. The CCTV footage, recording of the incident in which he was caught negotiating with the ACB complainant, philetrapic power, and other forensic evidence have been presented. According to ACB officials, Rohitash Meena handed over the money to his uncle, Laxman Meena alias Jaswant, who was arrested on May 5. During sustained interrogation, Laxman disclosed that he passed on the cash to an acquaintance, Jagaram Meena. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gold Is Surging in 2025 — Smart Traders Are Already In IC Markets Learn More Undo Mistaking the bag for proceeds from a failed land deal, Jagaram buried it in the lawn and poured water over it to cover up the stash. Patel, 37, a first-time legislator from the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP), was accused of demanding Rs 2.5 crore from a Karauli-based miner, Ravindra Kumar Meena, the son of BJP leader Ram Niwas Meena, who unsuccessfully contested the 2023 Rajasthan assembly elections from Todabhim. Patel allegedly demanded the bribe in exchange for not raising questions in the state assembly about mining activities in the Todabhim-Karauli belt—located nearly 700 km from his own constituency. The amount was later negotiated down to Rs 2 crore. The ACB has booked five accused in the case under Sections 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 61(2) and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. According to the FIR, the bribe negotiations began on March 22, when Rohit Meena called the complainant to meet at Indira Gandhi Nagar. During the meeting, Meena mentioned "2.5," which the complainant initially believed meant Rs 2.5 lakh. However, Patel later clarified that the demand was actually Rs 2.5 crore. In the last week of April, the complainant paid Rs 1 lakh to Patel, which helped the ACB verify the complaint and prepare for a trap. On May 4, Patel and another accused, Vicky, reportedly discussed, inspected, and accepted Rs 20 lakh in cash from the complainant at the MLA's official residence. The money was later handed over in the parking area and concealed, a sequence that the FIR says has been prima facie established. ACB stated that Patel abused his public office to obtain illegal gratification, amounting to offences under the amended Prevention of Corruption Act and the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
India Gazette
10 hours ago
- India Gazette
Gujarat has unique opportunity to showcase inspiring model to wor
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], July 3 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has emphasised making Gujarat a model of excellent cooperation for the nation and the world through various programmes during the entire International Cooperative Year, 2025. The International Cooperative Year is being celebrated this year, inspired by the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the country's first Cooperation Minister Amit Shah. The first quarterly meeting of the high-level committee for planning the statewide celebration of this year was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. During this meeting, a review was conducted of the action plan for organising various programmes throughout the year as part of the International Cooperative Year celebration. In this meeting, CM Patel stated that Gujarat, recognised as the birthplace of the cooperative revolution in India, has a great opportunity to accelerate rural empowerment by promoting new cooperative models and thereby make the International Cooperative Year - 2025 a grand success. He guided that programmes should be organised as per the action plan and celebrated successfully with the participation of cooperative institutions and citizens so that the theme 'Cooperatives Build a Better World' is truly realised in Gujarat. The high-level meeting, held in the presence of Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Kuvarji Bavaliya, and Minister of State for Cooperation Jagdish Vishwakarma, featured a presentation on the success of various programmes conducted from January 2025 to June 2025 under the International Cooperative Year. These programmes included cooperative-themed tableaus in district-level Republic Day parades on January 26, seminars on cooperation for women and youth, state-wide tree plantations under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative by cooperative institutions, unions, and societies, and successful sanitation drives at the rural level. Further, the planning of upcoming events to be organised under the International Year of Cooperation was also finalised. A detailed presentation on this planning highlighted that, under the 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' initiative, programmes on Sardar and Cooperation will be organised on July 5 and 6 in Anand to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, in the esteemed presence of Union Minister of Cooperation and Home Affairs Amit Shah. On the morning of July 5, Minister Amit Shah will perform the foundation stone laying ceremony of the country's first cooperative university, Tribhuvan Cooperative University, in Anand. Later, a 'Sahakar Samvad' (Cooperative Dialogue) will be held under his chairmanship at Science City, Ahmedabad. This dialogue program will also include participation from officials of cooperative institutions from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. On July 6, the Union Minister for Cooperation and Home Affairs will also inaugurate new projects of NDDB and Amul in Anand. Further, Cooperative Week will be celebrated across the state from July 1 to 6. As part of the International Cooperative Year, around 30 lakh children aged 3 to 6 years will be provided with nutritious food items such as milk, moong (green gram), and chikki through milk unions, cooperative banks, and PACS during the months of September-October. Minister of State for Cooperation Jagdish Vishwakarma shared details of a major campaign of the International Year of Cooperatives during the meeting, stating that in order to fulfil the vision of 'Sahkar Se Samriddhi', people associated with the cooperative sector, especially farmers, animal husbandry, and fisheries workers, will send postcards to the Prime Minister from villages and towns across the state, thanking him for the cooperative sector schemes that have contributed to their economic upliftment. He also said that during the International Cooperative Year, workshops and seminars for the empowerment of PACS will also be organised at the village level. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Pankaj Joshi, Additional Chief Secretary of Revenue Dr Jayanti Ravi, Additional Chief Secretary of Agriculture and Cooperation Anju Sharma, Principal Secretaries T. Natarajan, R.C. Meena, Milind Torawane, and Sandip Kumar, along with Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Avantika Singh, Secretary Dr Vikrant Pandey, and other senior officials. (ANI)
