Members of the influential Patidar community in Gujarat have publicly thrown their weight behind senior IAS officer and former Surendranagar Collector, Rajendrakumar Patel. They allege he is being unfairly singled out in a corruption investigation and have demanded impartial action from the state government.
Rally in Mandal Demands Justice
The show of support took the form of a public rally held in Mandal, located in Ahmedabad district, on Monday. The gathering was led by Varun Patel, a prominent figure from the 2015 Patidar reservation agitation. He was joined by other noted leaders from that movement, including Manoj Panara and Gita Patel.
Following the rally, the group submitted a formal memorandum to the local Mamlatdar. Their demands were twofold: firstly, they sought a new law to regulate marriages following elopement. Secondly, and more pertinently to the immediate issue, they called for an end to what they termed "biased behaviour towards Gujarati officers" across various state government departments.
Allegations of Selective Targeting
At the heart of the protest is the allegation that Rajendrakumar Patel is a victim of selective enforcement. Varun Patel, in conversations with the media, argued that the officer is being treated as a culprit for allegedly taking bribes to grant change of land use (Non-Agriculture or NA) permissions.
Varun made a sweeping claim, stating, "In Gujarat, every collector takes money for granting non-agriculture use (applications). Same ED action should be taken against all the (district) collectors." He further contended that the survey numbers mentioned in the complaint against Rajendrakumar Patel were actually granted NA permission during the tenure of his predecessor, implying the case against him is weak or misdirected.
A Broader Conspiracy Theory
The community leaders framed the issue within a larger narrative of political and administrative marginalisation. Varun Patel alleged a continued conspiracy, first to eliminate Patidars from Gujarat's political landscape and now to remove them and other Gujaratis from key administrative positions.
He emphatically declared Rajendrakumar Patel as "respectable and the pride of our clan and our community," directly challenging the government's narrative. The officer's credentials bolster this community pride: Rajendrakumar Patel, originally from Dumana village in Viramgam taluka, secured an impressive All India Rank of 70 in the UPSC examinations of 2014. A Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), he notably took the mains examination with Gujarati Literature as one of his subjects.
Planned Statewide Campaign
The rally in Mandal is reportedly just the beginning. The group has announced plans to escalate their campaign by reaching out to the top four Patidar organisations in Gujarat. The objective is to involve these major community bodies directly in the issue, amplifying pressure on the state government to reconsider its approach towards the officer.
This mobilization signals a reignition of community-based political activism, reminiscent of the 2015 quota stir, but now focused on perceived injustices within the bureaucratic apparatus. The demand for unbiased treatment of officers from Gujarat adds a new dimension to the long-standing discourse on regional representation in India's central services.
