Amid calls for removal, BJP leader Parshottam Rupala apologises for 'mistake'

Amid growing protests against Union minister and BJP's Rajkot candidate Parshottam Rupala for his comments regarding the Kshatriya community, Rupala on Monday said that he has already tendered an apology to the community for his "verbal mistake". Speaking to media persons in Rajkot, he said the community would forgive him according to "Kshatriya Dharma".

On March 22, Rupala during an event organised by the Valmiki community, said that, unlike the lower castes, the kings had bowed before the alien tormentors and retained relationships with them, triggering protests by the Kshatriyas. When asked about the community's demand that the BJP replace him, Rupala said the issue of selecting or altering a candidate is the job of the parliamentary board of the party and that the community has a right to mobilise and express its opinion.Meanwhile, Kshatriya leaders in Rajkot are planning a major congregation of community members in the city by the end of this week seeking Rupala's removal.

As protests against Rupala spread across the state, Kshatriya community members gathered in Sabarkantha, Surendranagar, Junagadh, Ahmedabad, Surat and other places. In Surat, Junagadh Kshatriya community members made a representation to the district collector. Earlier, Rupala's effigies were burnt in Keshod and Rajkot, leading to registration of first information reports by the police, much to the chagrin of the Kshatriya community.