After Patels, now Rajputs of Gujarat want OBC reservation

Amid a stir over the Patidars' agitation for a quota in education and govt jobs, the Rajput-Kshatriya community of Vadodara has joined the communities demanding reservation

The stir over the caste-based reservation system seems to be deepening in Gujarat. After the Patidar community’s recent agitation demanding reservation in the other backward castes (OBC) category, the state’s Rajputs are demanding a quota for themselves in Vadodara.

According to a report published in The Indian Express  on Friday, Vadodara’s Rajput-Kshatriya community has joined the bandwagon of communities demanding reservation. The Vadodara District Kshatriya Rajput (VDKR) community on Thursday held a public rally in the city’s Navlakhi compound, with thousands of community members chanting a resonating ‘Rajput Zindabad and Jai Bhavani’ slogans.

In a massive show of strength, the community held a public address, with participation from thousands of young community members. The community then took out a street rally on motorcycles, defying the police trying to contain the groups in the absence of permissions. 

The groups were reported to have been led by VDKR General Secretary Kamlesh Raulji and Akhil Bharatiya Jai Bhavani Sena President Ratanvijay Chauhan, who questioned the denial of police permission in the wake of permissions granted to “other communities” to take out rallies. 

Raulji was quoted as saying: “The police are willing to give permissions to all other communities for organising rallies. But when it comes to the Rajput community, they are denying us our right to protest. If this is their attempt to thwart our right, the next election will give them the answer. The community will come out with all its might against the ruling forces.” 

The message from the Rajput leaders at the public address was without mincing of words. “We are a community that ruled the country in our regions. We are the royal community of warriors that gave away our kingdoms and princely states to have a united country, at the instance of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

However, today, we have nothing in our hands. Our rights and privileges have been taken away to reduce us to a poor community. We must get special privileges in the form of reservations, too. We are warriors and we know to fight for it,” Raulji was quoted as saying. 



Even as the police officials tried to contain the community in the rally ground by closing the gates, the community members used force to push the gates open and took out a rally towards the District Collectorate. 

Senior police officials said appropriate action would be taken against the members of the community who defied police orders, as the event had been video-graphed.