Rajkot mega rally of Kshatriya women

Protests against BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) MP Parshottam Rupala continued in Saurashtra today, as a large number of Kshatriyas gathered in Rajkot for a rally.

During the rally, Karni Sena leader Padminiba Vala fainted and was taken to a hospital for treatment. She was on a hunger strike since last week.

The rally, which started at Bahumali Chowk and ended at the Collector’s office, saw a large number of Kshatriyas wearing saffron turbans and sarees. The police had made elaborate security arrangements for the rally.

Congress leader Gayatriba Solanki and other leaders also participated in the rally and raised slogans demanding the cancellation of Rupala’s ticket.

The rally was permitted by the Rajkot collector.

Earlier, a meeting between the state government and Kshatriya leaders had failed to reach a resolution. The Kshatriya leaders had made it clear that they would not accept anything short of the revocation of Rupala’s Lok Sabha election candidature.

Meanwhile, to make matters worse for the BJP leader, some Rajput women decided to opt for self-immolation (johar) outside the Kamalam office (state BJP headquarters) today if their demands were not met. Bopal police detained all five women following this.

The Karni Sena president, Mahipal Singh Makrana, was also detained today by the police in Bopal regarding this issue.

On the contrary, Kshatriya woman leader Dakshaba Sisodiya from Rajkot has appealed to the Kshatriya women to not take this step, as such steps have been taken as a last resort, but Kshatriya women have the support of men and women in the community across the state.

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