A group of activists from North Gujarat’s powerful Chaudhary community organisation Arbuda Sena on Sunday stormed the venue of a public meeting addressed by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Vadgam demanding the release of their leader and former state home minister Vipul Chaudhary, arrested recently in an alleged scam in a large milk cooperative.
Simultaneously, a huge rally was organised by the Arbuda Sena, which was created by Vipul Chaudhary after he was not given his due by the BJP either in party tickets or any posts, was held 40 km away from the CM’s event in Deesa, also in North Gujarat, where the Sena leaders issued a threat to boycott the BJP in the upcoming State elections if Chaudhary is not released from jail forthwith.
The Chaudhary community, also known as Anjana Patel, has considerable influence in as many as 35 assembly constituencies and can tilt the balance if the vote doesn’t get split. Also, former chief minister and veteran leader Shankersinh Vaghela, who hails from North Gujarat, has also thrown his weight behind Vipul Chaudhary who was his minister in the RJP Government carved out of the BJP’s splinter group. He later joined the BJP.
At Vadgam, just as Bhupendra Patel completed his speech as part of the BJP’s Gujarat Gaurav Yatra, a group of Arbuda Sena activists outside started raising slogans against the BJP Government for the "injustice meted out to Vipul Chaudhary by fabricating him in a false corruption case.” The Banaskantha district police immediately swung into action and detained at least 10 Arbuda Sena members outside the venue.
According to Vadgam police inspector LG Desai, the Chief Minister had just left the venue after completing his speech when the slogan shouting started. There were Arbuda Sena members shouting slogans in support of Vipul Chaudhary, he said.
Jasubhai Chaudhary, Arbuda Sena’s Banaskantha district executive member, told local reporters, “Our leader Vipul Chaudhary has been framed in the case and arrested by the BJP Government out of political vendetta. Since the chief minister was to come, we wanted to make a representation to him but the police drove us out.”
