Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation renames Iron Man as 'Sardar Patidar'

AHMEDABAD: The BJP government in the state has taken up a project to build the world's tallest statue of Sardar Patel -the Statue of Unity -to indicate what the great leader stood for but the message has got lost in the leader's home state.
On a rectangular granite pillar installed at a round about in Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel's assembly constituency, Ghatlodia, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has engraved the roundabout's name as 'Sardar Patidar Chowk'.
Sources in the AMC said this was done before the local body elections in October, to appease the Patidar community which has been agitating for reservations under OBC quota and release of their jailed leaders.However, the slab was not unveiled until the paper wrapped around it fell away exposing the engraving.
Jignesh Pandya, BJP corporator in Ghatlodia ward, said the decision to name a chowk after Sardar Patel was taken three years ago. "But the brass plate with the name 'Sardar Patidar Chowk' was put in place six months ago. It has nothing to do with the Patel agitation as the decision to name the chowk was taken unanimously," Pandya said.
However, another BJP corporator said on the condition of anonymity that in 2011, the then standing committee had taken a decision to name the KK Nagar roundabout after Sardar Patel because the locality has a large number of Patels. “But the proposal was put on the back burner and it remained there for four years. When the Patidar quota agitation was at its peak and it was hard to get Patel votes of the area, this proposal of naming the roundabout as Sardar Patidar Chowk arrived,“ said the councillor.
Even Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's relatives do not find this political gimmick palatable. Sameer Patel, 34, great grandson of Sardar Patel's younger brother, Kashibhai, said: "“We have nothing to do with such politics. Using Sardar Patel's name for politics or seeking reservation is not good.Sardar Saheb's name should not be used like this,' said Sameer.