SHREE KAMALAM IN Gandhinagar is the headquarters of the BJP in Gujarat. Old-timers here reflect the party's hardy nature. One of them, Vaghji Desai, at age 65 rides his bicycle 19km from his home in Ahmedabad to be at Shree Kamalam. He is a facilitator of many activities here.
Vaghji had gone on a padyatra led by Shankersinh Vaghela in the 1990s. After Vaghela left the BJP and became chief minister, Vaghji stood in a queue to meet him.
Spotting him in the queue, Vaghela sent a security officer to fetch him. "Vaghji, you don't have to stand in a queue. What is the work to be done?" Vaghela asked him. Vaghji said he had come carrying a transfer request by a BJP worker's daughter. "Do it if you wish," he said. "But let me tell you that I am still in the BJP!"
One would find the same spirit in Ambalal Koshti, who had spotted a young Narendra Modi and enrolled him in the party. He, too, is a regular at Shree Kamalam and takes up tasks on his own. Though a humble party worker, he makes himself heard, whether the leaders agree with him or not.
People like Vaghji and Ambalal have seen the party grow from one seat in the assembly in 1967 elections to 156 seats in the latest election in 2022, and one Lok Sabha seat in 1984 to all 26 seats in 2017. As elsewhere, the RSS played a pivotal role in the growth.
Except for a year and a half when Vaghela and Dilip Parikh rebelled and ruled, the BJP has retained power in Gujarat since 1995. Neither the earthquake of 2001 nor the Patidar agitation of 2017 could shake it down. The riots of 2002, in fact, strengthened it and polarised the people.
EXCEPT FOR A YEAR AND A HALF WHEN VAGHELA AND DILIP PARIKH REBELLED AND RULED, THE BJP HAS RETAINED POWER IN GUJARAT SINCE 1995. NEITHER THE EARTHQUAKE OF 2001 NOR THE PATIDAR AGITATION OF 2017 COULD SHAKE IT DOWN.
この記事は THE WEEK India の December 18, 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は THE WEEK India の December 18, 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
