AHMEDABAD: BJP’s Kanti Amrutia and AAP’s Gopal Italia, both from Gujarat's Patidar community, have locked horns in a bizarre showdown. What began as political posturing over public agitations in Morbi has now snowballed into a high voltage drama, replete with resignations, convoys, viral videos, and taunts all under the shadow of Gujarat’s prized Patidar vote bank.
The political slugfest between BJP MLA from Morbi, Kanti Amrutia, and AAP’s Gopal Italia, MLA from Visavadar, hit fever pitch on Monday as Amrutia stormed into Gandhinagar with a dramatic 100 vehicle convoy, vowing to resign if AAP’s Italia showed up; he did not.
This wasn’t just a stunt. It was a calculated reply to what Amrutia calls “threats of Visavadarwali”, a taunt hurled during recent agitations in Morbi, allegedly by AAP workers to provoke unrest and pressure the administration.
The jibe referenced Italia’s bypoll win in Visavadar, suggesting a repeat in Morbi, a challenge BJP’s MLA Amrutia took personally.
Amrutia publicly dared Italia to contest from Morbi. If Italia wins, Amrutia pledged to resign and even promised a Rs 2 crore reward. Italia, not one to back down, accepted via a viral video. Thus was born Gujarat’s most theatrical political showdown of the season.
“I’ve come with my resignation papers,” Amrutia declared, waiting in the Assembly complex till 12:15 pm. “If Gopalbhai had the courage, he should’ve come. But this is not development politics, this is misleading the Patidar youth with drama and lies.” He said.
He didn’t stop there. “Italia is dividing the Patidar community. I’ve come to stop such people.”
Interestingly, top BJP leaders distanced themselves from the brawl. Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary said, “This isn’t our concern focus should be on public service.” Health Minister Rushikesh Patel added, “This isn’t challenge politics. Gujarat only knows development politics.”
Yet beneath the “development” slogan lies a clear truth: the BJP and AAP are both fiercely courting Patidar voters and internal rivalries, public stunts, and online warfare are now fair play in this high stakes tug of war.