Will leave politics if I can't serve my community, says Alpesh Thakor at Gandhinagar meet

Gandhinagar, Jan 27 (IANS) BJP MLA Alpesh Thakor said he would permanently step away from politics on the day he felt he could no longer serve his community, a declaration that became the central moment of the Thakor community’s ‘Abhyuday Mahasammelan’ held at Ramkatha Ground in Gandhinagar on Tuesday. 

Addressing thousands of people gathered at around 3 am, Thakor said his political journey was inseparable from social responsibility.

“For me, society is above any post. If I realise that I cannot give anything back to my society, I will quit politics for good,” he said, adding that the convention was not organised as a display of strength but as a reflection of the Thakor community’s “unbroken unity”.

Responding to doubts raised over the timing of the convention, he said the hour symbolised vigilance. “To secure the future of our society, we must stay awake,” he remarked.

The Mahasammelan, organised by Thakor in his capacity as president of the Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena, focussed on education, de-addiction, employment and social reform.

Thousands had assembled even before midnight, with participation reported from more than 7,000 villages across the state.

Recalling the de-addiction movement launched in 2016, Thakor said the idea was initially mocked but gradually took root. “When we first spoke about de-addiction, people laughed. Today, the youth have taken this message to every household, and 90 to 95 per cent of villages are free from addiction,” he claimed.

He added that had such efforts begun earlier, the community’s social and economic position would have been stronger.

Thakor also announced the launch of a major educational initiative with the ground-breaking ceremony of ‘Saraswati Dham’, a proposed Rs 100-crore campus near Adalaj.

Thanking the state government for allotting land for the project, he said the campus would accommodate over 2,000 boys and girls and include facilities for competitive exam coaching, a library and guidance for foreign studies.

“Land should not be sold for extravagant weddings. Institutions must be built for our children,” he said, adding that eight more buildings were planned in the coming years.

Former Gujarat Congress President Jagdish Thakor urged families to reduce wasteful spending on social ceremonies and channel savings into education. “The money saved from curbing such practices should be used for higher education and the bright future of our children,” he said.

Congress MP Geniben Thakor called on the community to confront issues such as superstition, malnutrition and lack of education, stating, “Societies that worry about their future move ahead; time waits for no one. Families should aim beyond low-level jobs and prepare their children for IAS and IPS careers."

Leaders from across political lines, including MPs, MLAs and ministers, attended the convention, which concluded with a collective pledge to prioritise education, social unity and long-term community uplift.

--IANS

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