The Kshatriya community in Gujarat has intensified its protests against Union minister and BJP’s Rajkot Lok Sabha seat candidate Parshottam Rupala for his recent controversial comments. The community has announced ‘Operation Rupala’, under which they plan to field 400 candidates against Rupala in the upcoming elections. This decision was made during a meeting held in Rajkot by the core committees of various Kshatriya associations.

The community leaders have stated that this battle is for their honour. They have also decided to organize rallies in all districts of Gujarat. The Kshatriya community members are deeply offended by Rupala’s remarks, which they believe degrade the morals in public life. They argue that the authorities should not provoke their members and hold them responsible for any law and order situation.

Rupala’s comments that the maharajas acquiesced to the persecution by foreign rulers and the British, as well as marrying off their daughters to oppressors, have angered the Kshatriya community. The community, which belongs to the ruling-class caste, considers these remarks derogatory and an insult to their heritage.

The tensions escalated further when Kshatriya community members took to the streets in Ahmedabad to protest against Rupala. In a separate incident, five women who had threatened self-immolation were placed under house arrest before they could reach the BJP’s headquarters in Gandhinagar. The community members gathered near the bungalows where the women were staying, which led to the intervention of the police and crime branch teams.

The situation worsened when Karni Sena’s national president Mahipalsinh Makrana and others arrived at the scene. The crowd grew larger, resulting in a police lathi charge. Makrana and his associate Virbhadra Singh were detained by the police and taken to Rajasthan. However, Makrana was allowed to meet the women briefly, stating that they came to convince them not to resort to self-immolation.

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