Gujarat BJP youth wing chief faces rotten eggs, ink attacks

Gujarat BJP youth wing president Ritwij Patel on Tuesday faced rotten eggs, water pouches and ink thrown at him by a mob of Patel youngsters when he took out a rally through the community-dominated area here.

Though nothing hit Ritwij Patel, who was travelling in an open jeep, the Bharatiya Janata Party volunteers accompanying him caught hold of two persons who threw ink towards him and handed them over to the police.

The youngsters said they belonged to the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and their protest was directed towards the BJP government’s negative attitude towards the demands of the Patidars for reservation under OBC category.

Taling to media persons later, Ritwij Patel however claimed that the youngsters were “hired goons of the Congress” and the Patels were “solidly with me and the BJP.”

His rally was planned from the Patel-dominated locality of Varachha to Godadara to woo the Patidars in view of the coming elections to the state Assembly.

However, just as the rally began, rotten eggs and water pouches were thrown towards him from a shopping complex nearby but everything fell by the way side. Later, two persons who threw ink towards Ritwij Patel were overpowered by the motorbike-riding BJP volunteers.