Rajkot:
In a major boost for the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, as many as 45 royal families have extended their support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The members of the royal families gathered in Rajkot. There were 15 to 16 members of the royal family present, while the others expressed their letter of support to Prime Minister Modi.
Thakor Saheb of Rajkot Mandhata, Sinhji Jadeja, said the members met to discuss the interests of the country.
“It is undoubtedly a clear picture that the Rajput community and the former rulers are closely associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. All the rulers are here because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision. His tech-savvy approach of using all media to take India to the next level of development,” Sinhji Jadeja told ANI.
His statement comes amid ongoing protests by Kshatriyas and Rajputs in Gujarat against Union Minister Parshottam Rupala's controversial comments against them.
On March 22, Union minister and Rajkot BJP candidate Parshottam Rupala sparked controversy during an election campaign speech in Rajkot in Gujarat when he praised the Dalits at the expense of the Kshatriyas or Rajputs.
Commenting on British rule, Rupala said: “Even kings and royal families bowed to the British, started family ties with them, broke bread with them and even married their daughters with them, but this Rukhi Samaj (a Dalit community) gave no shrinkage. I salute them for their steadfastness and strength. It is this force that has kept Sanatana Dharma alive…Jai Bhim!” His reference to roti-beti vyavahar (breaking bread and entering into marital relations) provoked anger that neither he nor the party expected in a state where the BJP has virtually enjoys complete dominance.
Speaking to ANI, Sinhji Jadeja said, “Today the ex-rulers of Saurashtra, Kachchh and Gujarat have gathered here to reflect on the interests of the country at large, and how India can hold its head high in the international arena .”
He appreciated the development in the country in the last decade and called Prime Minister Modi a 'world leader'.
“He is now a world leader, and it is without a doubt that we give our full support to Prime Minister Modi,” he added.
Notably, Gujarat, the home state of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is a citadel of the BJP, with the party winning all 26 seats in the last two general elections.
The state will vote for 25 of the 26 Assembly seats in the Lok Sabha elections on May 7.
In the remaining Surat constituency, BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal was elected 'unopposed' after the nomination papers of Congress party candidate Nilesh Kumbhani were rejected as his three petitioners claimed in an affidavit to the district election officer that they did not have his nomination form signed. .
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