Congress is a gift that keeps on giving. After BJP high command announced Bhupendra Patel as the new Chief Minister of Gujarat, the IT cell of Congress swung into action to seemingly target the new CM. The state unit of Madhya Pradesh Congress took to Twitter and posted a bizarre comment that became the talk of the town the entire evening as netizens took potshots at the grand old party.
The tweet read, “Bhupendra Patel, the choice of 14000 people across the country, will be the new Chief Minister of Gujarat. This is a slap on the face of the people of Gujarat by Narendra Modi.”
पूरे देश में 14000 लोगों की पसंद भूपेन्द्र पटेल गुजरात के नये मुख्यमंत्री होंगे।
ये नरेंद्र मोदी की तरफ़ से गुजरात की जनता के मुँह पर करारा तमाचा है। pic.twitter.com/7SrXQUhIzi
— MP Congress (@INCMP) September 12, 2021
While Congress tried to mock Patel for his followers’ count, which remains highly inconsequential on the political ground, it innocuously forgot that the BJP leader had won by a margin of over 1,17,000 votes against Shashikant Patel from the Congress party.
No sooner than the suicidal tweet was put out by Congress, netizens started trolling the party with myriad memes and satirical posts. While some questioned the sheer inanity of the post, some asked the G-23 group of leaders to call out the party high command again.
it just amazes me how can they be so dumb. https://t.co/3H4mJHaGQ2
— TaalFromNepal (@loudconfederate) September 12, 2021
What to do with a party that considers follower count on Twitter as the qualification for running ba state or country? No wonder Congress-leadership is now confined only to tweeting. – G23 walo zara apna high-command ke soch samajhiye. 👏 #Congress #BhupendraPatel #GujaratNewCM https://t.co/GvN1usrNAp
— GhoseSpot (@SandipGhose) September 12, 2021
Meanwhile, a netizen outrightly questioned the IQ of the Congress party by asking, “Bhupendra Patel becoming Gujarat CM is an insult because he only has 14000 Twitter followers: MP Congress. Any better words to explain this low IQ?
Bhupendra Patel becoming Gujarat CM is an insult because he only has 14000 twitter followers: MP Congress.
😂
Any better words to explain this low IQ? https://t.co/THTjtYCnga
— Girish Alva (@girishalva) September 12, 2021
https://t.co/TPNsXQvWas pic.twitter.com/VXGGIpEnrs
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) September 12, 2021
Bhupendra Patel – the shrewd choice
Bhupendra Patel, the first-time MLA from the Ghatlodia constituency was a wildcard pick as none of the so-called political experts had his name in the list of leaders to replace Rupani. However, as explained by TFI, there is a reason why he has been chosen by the BJP high command to lead the party in the state.
The Patidar community, which is divided into two subcastes – Leuva Patel and Kadva Patel, is numerically the most dominant in the state. Kadva Patel community constitutes 30 per cent of the total Patidar popular while the rest 70 per cent are Leuva Patel.
The Patidar reservation protest, which is going on for the last few years, was primarily led by the Kadva Patidar community, which has no person on the Chief Minister chair; four people from the Patidar community who occupied the CM chair were all from the Leuva Patidar community.
Read More: Why BJP chose Bhupendra Patel over Nitin Patel?
Thus, the protest was primarily driven by the Kadva Patidar community which wants its share in the power corridors of Gandhinagar. Hardik Patel, the young leader who led the protest, is also from the same community.
Thus, BJP appointed the first-time MLA Bhupendra Patel, who is from the Kadva community to the post of CM. Nitin Patel, the strongest candidate with a long CV who could not make it, also belongs to the Kadva Patel community. As BJP has fulfilled the demand of a Patidar CM, the community would swing to the saffron party which it has supported since Modi became CM of the state.
Patel has been an AUDA (Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority) Chairman in the past and has also been chairman of the Standing Committee of Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC). Bhupendra Patel is an engineer by education. His coronation was made possible after former CM Vijay Rupani, unexpectedly resigned from his post.
