Patel agitation exposed BJP's claims on Gujarat model: Sitaram Yechury

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury today said the agitation for OBC quota by the "well-to-do" Patel community has exposed the BJP's claims on the so-called "Gujarat model" of development and it being inclusive.

He said the demand for reservation comes when job, education and livelihood-improvement opportunities are denied.

"That, this (demand for reservation) should come from a fairly well-to-do community is the clearest proof that the Gujarat model is not an inclusive model," Yechury told a press conference here.

The agitation has "thoroughly exposed all the claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been making and all the propaganda that we have heard for more than two years on this so-called Gujarat model," he said.

Noting "great deal of discontent in Patel community," Yechury said this clearly shows that the Gujarat model has benefited "very, very few people" and not the entire population or even major sections of the people.

"So, it's a complete failure of Gujarat model," he said.

While it is "good" that the Army has been called in to control the violent situation, the then Gujarat government never showed "this alacrity" during the 2002 communal riots, the CPI(M) leader said.

"But, just remember that in 2002, they did not call for Army for a long, long time. So, that itself now, in retrospect, is proof of what was their role then," Yechury said.

Tension has been prevailing in Gujarat as nine persons have so far been killed in clashes which started on Tuesday during quota agitation by Patel community. Army has been deployed in major cities to rein in the violence.