AAP’s Gopal Italia eyes Patidar leadership, hopes to dent BJP vote bank

Gujarat politics is witnessing a new churn, with the AAP trying to make its way into the Patidar Anaamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), an organization, founded by Hardik Patel in 2015, that carried out the anti-reservation protests against the then Anadiben Patel-led BJP government.

With the original PAAS leaders either uninterested or now with the BJP, AAP MLA Gopal Italia, a Patidar leader from Surat, seems to be filling the void in the organization.

On July 19, Italia attended and led the meeting convened by PAAS in Ahmedabad as the most prominent leader of the organization, Hardik Patel, stayed away.

On the roads again

“A list of seven primary issues being faced by Patidar youth and the youth of Gujarat in general was given to the government last month. If the government fails to act on the issues, the Patel youth will be forced to come out on the roads once again,” said Italia.

The meeting, chaired by Italia, raised and discussed several issues against the ruling BJP government and, as an organization, took a decision to hold a mass public meeting on August 25 marking its tenth anniversary.

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No-show by leaders

Notably, the PAAS had planned a massive public meeting in Gandhinagar in June this year and invitations were sent to PAAS leaders and core members, including Hardik Patel, Alpesh Kathiriya, Dharmik Malaviya, Lalji Patel, Dinesh Bambhaniya, Varun Patel, and Reshma Patel, along with the co-conveners from different districts.

However, none of them turned up. The meeting, which was expected to register a footfall of over 1000, saw only around 100 to 120 Patel youth participating.

Kathiriya, former co-convener of PAAS who is now with the BJP, claimed he was travelling when the meeting was organized. “I have communicated with the current leaders. None of the leaders who were part of movement have abandoned PAAS. The AAP is trying build the narrative to take advantage of an organization we built with our blood and sweat. But Patidar youths know that Gopal Italia did not go to jail for the movement,” he claimed.

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Fiery origin

Between July and October 2017, Patidar youth led by Hardik, under the aegis of PAAS, staged massive protests across the state. All its prominent leaders, including Hardik, Kathiriya, Malviya, Varun, Lalji Patel, and Reshma, along with others, were arrested and jailed under several charges, including sedition.

Yet, the movement forced the then Chief Minister Anandiben Patel to resign and be replaced by the late Vijay Rupani.

The agitation continued into 2016, with Hardik once again leading the protests. In the aftermath of the movement, the BJP bagged 99 seats out of 182 in the state polls of 2017, its worst performance so far.

The collapse

However, in 2019, Hardik joined the Congress, inviting criticism from the Patidar community and other PAAS leaders. Later, in 2022, he joined the BJP.

During the same time, other prominent leaders, like Kathiriya, Malviya, and Reshma, joined the AAP. But in 2024, Kathiriya, a former ABVP leader, returned to the BJP along with Malviya, while Reshma still remains with the AAP. Two members, Lalit Vasoya and Manoj Panara, joined the Congress.

So, in effect, the organization that once brought the state to a standstill with its massive anti-reservation movement across the state, has been leaderless, with 10 of its 14 core founding members switching over to the BJP.

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Dejected foot soldiers

This has left the PAAS foot soldiers feeling betrayed. “We sent invitations [for the June meeting] to all our primary leaders and conveners. But none of them turned up. Most of them have joined mainstream political parties, including the ruling BJP. They have a political career because of the movement, so the least they can do is to respond to organization’s invites,” said a dejected Abhik Patel, a local leader of PAAS from Mehsana district in North Gujarat who has several cases registered against him in Ahmedabad and Rajkot.

“Over the years, the Patidar youth leaders who were the face of the movement left the organization and most of them joined the BJP. Most of the cases against them have been dropped. Only the members continued to be harassed over so many years,” added Patel, who is still a member of PAAS.

“A majority of the cases against us were registered in Surat, Rajkot, and a few in Ahmedabad and Mehsana. Some of us still have to travel to multiple districts in different parts of the state to attend our court hearing. While the leaders who spearheaded the movement are enjoying good positions in the ruling party, around 44 criminal cases are still pending against Patidar youths since the movement,” he said.

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AAP’s entry

The situation has given the AAP’s Gujarat unit, which has been trying to challenge the BJP in its own turf, an opportunity to make inroads into the Patidar vote bank.

“The AAP has been trying to dent the Patel vote bank since 2019. In fact, its success in the Surat civic polls in 2019 was owing to the disgruntled Patidar youth who joined and supported the AAP,” Manishi Jani, a political analyst and a leader of Navnirman movement, told The Federal.

“The issue with PAAS is that its founders left the organization with its local leaders to fend for themselves. Many of these leaders, especially in Surat, tried to join the BJP or the Congress. But neither party gave them any important position within the party. Italia’s win may have rekindled the political ambitions of the Patidar youth who were left behind. So, they are drifting towards the AAP currently,” he added.

A consistent voice against BJP

Jani pointed out that over the years, Italia has come up as a consistent voice against the BJP in Gujarat. “Even before he joined the AAP, his activism targeted the ruling party. In Gujarat, where BJP has managed to co-opt every leader, especially Patidar leaders, in their fold, Italia comes across as this rare leader who will not be easily swayed by BJP’s money or muscle power,” he noted.

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“Besides, there is no other vocal Patel youth leader in the state politics currently. Most of the PAAS leaders, including Hardik, have taken a backstage over the years by joining various parties. It is no surprise that Italia is stepping into the position of the PAAS leader the organization has not had for years,” he added.

New Patel leader

The AAP, under the leadership of Italia, is preparing for a mass gathering of Patidar community along with PAAS in August this year.

“This year marks 10 years of the Patidar Anamat and it seems fitting to revive the organization and raise the concern of the Patel youth. Gopalbhai (Iatalia) has remained undaunted so far in the face of intimidation from the government. He is definitely a leader the Patel youth look up to,” said Amrish Kanani, another PAAS leader from Surat.