Replace Parshottam Rupala as BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Rajkot, demand Rajputs in Gujarat

The Rajput community in Gujarat has demanded that the Bharatiya Janata Party replace Union minister Parshottam Rupala as its candidate for the state’s Rajkot Lok Sabha seat, reported PTI.

The community sought the withdrawal of Rupala’s candidature for an allegedly derogatory remark he made during an election rally on March 22, where he addressed a largely Dalit audience. The Rajputs, who belong to the Kshatriya caste, claimed that Rupala had abused the “daughters and sisters” of their community with his comments, which the minister has since apologised for twice.

“Even rajas and maharajas [kings and royals] bowed down to the British, started family bonds with them, broke bread with them, and even married their daughters to them but this rukhi samaj [Dalit society] did not budge,” Rupala had said, according to The Hindu. “I salute them for their fortitude and strength. It is this strength that has kept Sanatana Dharma [a synonym for Hinduism] alive.”

Community leaders have rejected Rupala’s apologies and vowed to intensify the protest against him.

On Sunday, an estimated one lakh members of the Rajput community held a public meeting at Ratanpur village in Rajkot district after the state’s ruling BJP announced that Rupala would file his nomination papers on April 16.

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