Patidar protesters meet Modi over ‘atrocities’

By NewsGram Staff Writer

New York: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met a group of people, who were complaining about atrocities by police in Gujarat during the anti-reservation agitation. They asked for a changeover to a system of reservation based on economic status.

Earlier, at least 250 people from Sardar Patel Group US-Canada (SPG) held a protest outside the United Nations as Modi addressed the General Assembly. They carried both portraits of Modi welcoming him and placards about the alleged atrocities and calling for changes in the reservation system.

Alpesh Patel, who said he led the SPG delegation that met Modi, told that they gave him 25 petitions seeking action on the alleged police atrocities where they also voiced for a change in the reservation system. In the same regard, 2,000 letters supporting the demand were sent through the Consulate General.

During their meeting at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Patel, a businessman from Central New Jersey, said, "Modi listened to us and told us that he has reviewed the issue and said the High Court is also looking into it."

Patel further said, "Modi did not reacted on our request for change in the reservation system."

The community conveyed to Modi that the current caste-based reservation system should be changed to one that is based on economic status.

One of those at the protest, RK Patel explained their contradictory signs of welcome and protest saying, "We are Indians first. We have a good Prime Minister and we welcome him. But we want him to do something about the atrocities in Gujarat and make the reservations economic and not caste."

In contrast to last year when hundreds turned up to cheer Modi, there were only about a dozen people from the Overseas BJP this time. Some members of the SPG too joined BJP members in holding up their banners and welcoming for Modi.

Meanwhile, another protest erupted across the streets by Khalistan supporters, who were separated by security barriers under the watchful of eyes of police. At least 500 of them held up signs demanding a referendum in Punjab and paraded an effigy of Modi.

With inputs from IANS