LS Polls 2024: BJP faces hurdle in Rajkot as Kshatriya community continues to oppose Parshottam Rupala

The trouble for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) refuses to go away in Gujarat as the Kshatriya community members have again demanded that the BJP cancel Union Minister Parshottam Rupala's candidature from Rajkot. The community has vowed to intensify their protest in the coming days. 

The Kshatriya community, also called Rajputs, held a public meeting at the Ratanpur village in the Rajkot district on Sunday. "We are firm on our demand for withdrawal of Rupala’s candidature. We have demanded from the BJP that Rupala has to go and we stand firm on the demand," Ramjubha Jadeja, a core committee member of the Kshatriya community, said.  

Jadeja said Rupala insulted Kshatriya's daughters and sisters. "Then he played a farce of seeking apology. But we have rejected his apology. We will continue with our protest against Rupala. BJP must withdraw him as the Lok Sabha candidate from Rajkot," he said. 

The BJP has announced that Rupala will file his nomination papers on April 16. Gujarat's all 26 Lok Sabha seats, including Rajkot, will go to polls in a single phase on May 7. 

Jadeja said the community will intensify its agitation in the coming days as he thanked Kshatriyas from other states like Rajasthan for extending support to the community members in Gujarat in their fight against Rupala. Many other community members also addressed the meeting, appealing for agitating in a peaceful manner. 

Kshatriya community women leader Trupti Ba said, "Rupala has insulted the daughters and sisters of the community and he has to go. Nothing should be done to hurt the self-respect of women and we will not sit idle till our self-respect is restored." 

Another community leader Dasrathsinh Sarvaiya claimed, "Rupala's days are numbered and he should not represent the people of Rajkot as their MP." 

Rupala upset the Kshatriya community after he recently claimed that the erstwhile 'maharajas' succumbed to the persecution of foreign rulers, including the Britishers. These 'maharajas', he said, broke bread with these rulers and also married off their daughters to them. 

The Kshatriya community members are demanding that the BJP drop him as the Rajkot Lok Sabha candidate. Rupala has apologised for his remarks. 

In Rajkot, Rupala is up against Pareshbhai Dhanani.

(With inputs from PTI)