Gujarat Elections 2017: BJP’s ‘Vikas’ Faces Litmus Test in Nano Site At Sanand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had once said that he had put Gujarat’s Sanand on the world map by bringing Tata Motors’ Nano Project. But the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is facing a litmus test of the ‘Gujarat model of development’ in the satellite town of Ahmedabad city.

The manufacturing unit of the world’s cheapest car has been set up at Sanand by forcible acquisition of farmers’ land as part of the 1,100 acres of government land (which formerly housed farmland belonging to the state's agricultural university) in the block, 25 km from Ahmedabad.

Living on either sides of the four-lane National Highway, the residents of Sanand villages allege that the factories do not give permanent employment to local youths nor they employ them in white collar jobs despite the fact that the automobile manufacturing units, including Nano, have come on their land.

“There are a number of factories, but our youth do not get jobs here. The industry here does not want to employ locals. After National Textile was closed over a decade back, 869 people lost jobs. Some argue since Patidars are rich, they should not ask for reservation. But no body wants to see our plight. We need anamat (reservation),” argues a resident.

Sanand is going to polls in the second phase of polling on December 14. While the BJP has fielded Kanubhai Karmshibhai Makvana, the Congress has put up Pushpaben Jorubhai Dabhi. In 2012, Karamsibhai Virjibhai Patel of the Congress had defeated Gagjibhai Rathod of the BJP.

Adjacent to the Nano factory at Chharodi village in Sanand, some locals complain of lack of health care and education facilities as well. As far employment of locals is concerned, it’s a double dilemma as local youths are not keen for hardcore labour jobs like soil cutting and are not well-skilled and trained enough for white collar jobs. On the barrage near Viramgam, most labourers are from Eastern UP, Bihar and Jharkhand.

The locals say the Nano venture has not only helped Gujarat’s branding as “industry-friendly state” and presented Modi as ‘Vikas Purush’, but also sent land prices sky-rocketing. As a result, they say, a section of farmers got rich overnight.

The industrial cluster around Tata Motors’ Nano plant witnessed a major clash in February when a rally of farmers protesting against allocation of water to industries from a Narmada dam canal was dispersed by police using force. Farmers here have been demanding Narmada river water to irrigate their fields for close to two decades. They say the canal water for irrigation does not reach them.

The incident occurred when some 5,000 farmers from 38 villages in Viramgam, Bavla and Sanand talukas, under the banner of Khedut Adhikar Manch, took out the procession and headed towards the state capital Gandhinagar to present a memorandum to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani demanding water for irrigation.

Police cane-charged the farmers and burst some 40 teargas shells to disperse the rally as well as roughed up some media persons covering the event following pelting of stones by a section of participants in the rally. At least seven men in uniform sustained injuries in the stone pelting.

In October, the Gujarat government said it would withdraw all criminal cases filed against 22 agitating farmers in Sanand. This was days after it also offered to withdraw all “non-serious cases” filed against members of the Patidar community after their protest rally in August 2015.

Sanand constituency came into existence after delimitation of 2008. Koli-Patel voters numbering dominate the constituency followed by Kshatriya, SC and Thakor voters. It remains to be seen whether Kshatriyas and Patidars or Patidars or Muslims vote together. They do not share a great community relation, though Congress has tried to bring them together by sewing up an umbrella alliance with Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor, besides Dalit face Jignesh Mevani.