Hardik Patel quota rally: Gujarat is missing Modi magic
When 22-year-old Hardik Patel roared in Ahmedabad on August 25, demanding reservation under the OBC category for the Patel community in the state, it forced one to think whether the Gujarat unit of the BJP would be missing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose tenure there as chief minister for close to 13 years ended last year. About five lakh Patels protested with Hardik, bringing the city to a standstill. One wondered when Ahmedabad had last witnessed such a protest. It surely never happened under Modi's rule.
There are various conspiracy theories doing the rounds over the Patel agitation. Some say it has been fuelled by chief minister Anandiben Patel's detractors within the BJP, others hint at the involvement of central leaders who are against the provision of caste-based quota at the workplace (they will use it to buttress their arguments). Few others blame Congress - the Opposition - for fanning the protest, while a section hold the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) responsible for it (they claim Hardik was seen with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the recent past).
The conspiracy theory holds considerable ground because a protest of this scale (reports said about five lakh Patels were on Ahmedabad's streets on Tuesday) is difficult to organise and sustain (it was the 55th day of the agitation). Whatever the reason, Modi is being missed in the state.
Going by Modi's record in governance as chief minister, had he been at the helm, the agitation would not have taken off in the first place because his intelligence machinery was very strong. Even if the agitation had begun, he would have found out a compromise formula. He efficiently handled numerous such issues and even more serious ones, like the post-2002 riots protests.
The Patel agitation is not the only instance when Modi is being missed and Anandiben's ability to match up to him being questioned. Three other such occasions which the state has seen in the last 14 months:
1. Bureaucracy
Anandiben does not have the same strong grip over bureaucracy as Modi. This has affected administration and led the Congress to allege that her grip over the police and law and order has loosened, resulting in a spurt in criminal cases in the state. Some senior bureaucrats bypass Anandiben and take orders directly from Delhi. The Modi-like grip over bureaucracy is not to be seen in the new regime.
2. Floods
The floods in Saurashtra that claimed 70 lives exposed the stark contrast between the governance of Modi and Anandiben. During Modi's rule, the state had suffered worse natural calamities, but he used the adversities as opportunities to build a more modern and strong Gujarat - be it the Bhuj or Ahmedabad earthquake or cyclones. In contrast, there were complaints of delay and mismanagement by relief and rescue teams during the Saurashtra floods.
3. Compulsory voting
Gujarat became the first state in the country to legislate a law on making voting compulsory. It was supposed to be implemented in the upcoming district panchayat and the municipal corporation elections in October. As chief minister, Modi had steered the Bill, but without success as former Gujarat governor Kamla Beniwal had blocked the Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2009 for several years. It finally got assent from incumbent governor OP Kohli in November 2014.
Though the system was to be implemented on a relatively smaller scale in Gujarat - 253 municipalities, 208 taluka (tehsil) panchayats, 26 district panchayats and six municipal corporations - a Gujarat high court order on August 21 put paid to Modi's efforts. It stayed the state government's notification following a petition challenging it for violating the citizens' fundamental right of choosing to vote. There is a view that Modi would have ensured that the petition was forcefully and successfully defended in court.