Ahmedabad, May 28 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the progress achieved by Gujarat’s Patidar community over the past 75 years had “no parallel anywhere in India”, while calling for a detailed academic study of the community’s transformation and contribution to the state’s development.
Speaking at the inauguration of new hostel facilities at Mata Umiya Dham in Ahmedabad, Shah said the development of Gujarat and the rise of the Patidar community had progressed together since Independence.
“I can say that in the 75 years after Independence, the progress made by the Patidar community of Gujarat has no parallel anywhere in India,” Shah said.
He said researchers should document the history of the community’s social and economic transformation.
“Some young researchers should come together and definitely write the history of the transformation of the Patidar community over these 75 years,” he said.
Shah stated that the Patidar community had played a major role in Gujarat’s growth and attributed its rise to qualities including “sacrifice, penance, transparency, honesty, hard work and patriotism”.
“The development of Gujarat and the development of the Patidar community have progressed in parallel. The Patidar community has made a huge contribution to Gujarat’s development,” he said.
The Union Home Minister said the community had established a presence across multiple sectors, including agriculture, education, textiles, ceramics, diamonds, pharmaceuticals, and real estate.
“Agriculture, education, textiles, ceramics, diamonds, pharmaceuticals, and now real estate… in all these sectors, the Patidar community has established its dominance,” Shah said.
He also spoke about the migration of Patidar families outside Gujarat and abroad, saying their “simplicity and inclusive thinking” had helped them gain acceptance quickly.
Referring to a recent visit to Gangasagar, Shah recounted meeting timber traders from Kutch belonging to the Kadva Patidar community.
“I said surely they must be Kadva Patidars from Kutch, only then could a timber business have been established in Gangasagar,” he said.
Shah also noted the presence of Gujaratis in the hospitality industry in the United States. “Even if you go to America and ask at any motel about the owner’s name, it will often turn out to be a boy from Gujarat’s Patidar community,” he said.
The Home Minister said the community’s achievements and organisational model should be studied for the benefit of other social groups as well.
The event marked the inauguration of J.S. Patel Hostel and the Tapasvi Kumar Arvindbhai Patel Girls’ Hostel at Mata Umiya Dham.
According to organisers, the modern 13-storey hostel buildings have been constructed at a combined cost of more than Rs 170 crore and will accommodate around 1,600 students pursuing education in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.
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