Upset with Gujarat govt for 'doing nothing', PAAS member hurls shoe at BJP minister

Ahmedabad: ‘Upset’ with the Gujarat government for ‘not doing anything’ for youths, a member of Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) on Sunday hurled a shoe at Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya at a function in Vallabhipur town in Bhavnagar district, police said.

However, the shoe missed its intended target as it landed some distance ahead of the stage from where Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Mandaviya was addressing a gathering.

Following the incident, the local police arrested the 20-year-old college student Bhavesh Sonani, said Vallabhipur sub-inspector P S Rizvi.

"We registered an FIR against Sonani and arrested him for hurling a shoe at the minister. He has been booked under sections 353 (assaulting public servant) and 186 (obstructing public servant) under the IPC," he said.

Upon learning about Sonani's arrest, local PAAS leaders rushed to the police station. Bhavnagar district PAAS convener Nitin Ghelani said Sonani resorted to this act as he was upset with the current BJP dispensation in Gujarat.

Ghelani said Sonani, a college student and a PAAS member, was overpowered by the BJP workers soon after the incident. He said Sonani was ‘upset’ with leaders of BJP because he felt that youths from Patel as well as other communities are left to fend for themselves after acquiring degrees.

"Though so many youths are unemployed, the BJP leaders are busy giving speeches instead of doing something concrete," Ghelani alleged. PAAS has been demanding reservation for Patel community members in government jobs and education institutions under the OBC quota.