Gordhan Zadafia

Gordhan Zadafia (born 20 June, 1954) is an Indian politician from Gujarat, India. He was a leader in Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) for 15 years before joining Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Gordhan Zadafia
Minister for Home and Security and Police Housing (Independent Charge) of Gujarat
In office
1998–2002
Personal details
Born (1954-06-20) 20 June 1954
Gariadhar, Bombay State, India
(present-day Gujarat)
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
Other political
affiliations		Gujarat Parivartan Party (2012-2014)
Mahagujarat Janata Party (2007-2012)
SpouseLeelaben Zadafia
EducationB.Sc., M.P.A. (Master of Public Administration), Diploma in Marketing Management

He served as the General Secretary of BJP in Ahmedabad city and was elected twice as a member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly during 1995–97 and 1998–2002. He was a Minister of State for Home and Security and Police Housing (Independent Charge) during 2001–2002 in the state Government of Gujarat led by Narendra Modi.[1]

He was accused of involvement in the 2002 Gujarat riots. Following a break with Narendra Modi after 2002, he pursued other political parties, competing against BJP, but eventually rejoined BJP in 2014.

Political career

Zadafia was a close associate of the VHP chief Praveen Togadia in Gujarat unit of VHP. He is reported to have been inducted as a Minister in the Modi cabinet as a sop to the latter for his support of Modi's chief ministership.[2] Zadafia is accused of involvement in the 2002 Gujarat riots by posting police officers sympathetic to VHP in strategic positions and accused of helping unleash violence.[3] He transferred police officers such as Rahul Sharma.[4] On his orders, police raided refugee camps claiming that they housed rioters.[4][5]

After the December 2002 elections, Narendra Modi dropped him from the cabinet to signal a break with the VHP.[2] Zadafia subsequently floated a new political party, Mahagujarat Janata Party (MJP) during the 2007 assembly elections in Gujarat, later merged into the Gujarat Parivartan Party of former chief minister Keshubhai Patel.

During the 2012 assembly elections, Togadia and VHP activists campaigned hard for the Gujarat Parivartan Party against the BJP. Despite all efforts, Zadafia and his team lost the 2012 elections. The VHP support for Zadafia ended up strengthening Narendra Modi's anti-hardline Hindutva image.[6]

The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) questioned Zadafia thrice regarding his role in the 2002 riots. Following reports that SIT had found evidence against him and senior police officers, it was reported that Zadafia was inclined to testify against Modi. Following pressure from RSS leaders, Zadafia refrained from such a move.[7]

On 24 February 2014, Zadafia rejoined the BJP and merged Gujarat Parivartan Party into it.[8]

References
  1. "Gujarat Assembly membership records".
  2. Marino 2014, p. 165.
  3. "History of how Modi and Togadia fell out". Times of India. 22 April 2014. Archived from the original on 9 September 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  4. Bunsha 2005, p. .
  5. Mari Marcel Thekaekara (12 May 2002). "The Survivors Speak". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  6. Sanjay Singh (2 April 2013). "How Modi cut Togadia down to size in Gujarat". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 15 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  7. "RSS telling Zadaphia not to testify against Modi: Sources". Times of India. 5 September 2010. Archived from the original on 1 December 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  8. "Gordhan Zadaphia back in BJP; in-house threat for Modi is over". Firstpost. 24 February 2014. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.

Bibliography
  • Bunsha, Dionne (2005). Scarred: Experiment's With Violence In Gujarat. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-400076-0.
  • Marino, Andy (2014). Narendra Modi: A Political Biography. HarperCollins Publishers India. ISBN 978-93-5136-217-3.
  • Jose, Vinod K (1 March 2012). "The Emperor Uncrowned: The rise of Narendra Modi". Caravan. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.


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