AAP Gujarat in-charge Gopal Rai on Sunday compared the police action on protesting farmers in Botad&rsquo;s Hadadad village to &ldquo;British-era brutality&rdquo;, saying the incident marked a &ldquo;black chapter&rdquo; in Gujarat&rsquo;s history. The violence erupted during a kisan mahapanchayat organised by AAP, where clashes escalated from stone-pelting to lathicharge and tear gas shelling within minutes. &ldquo;Every door in Hadadad was broken, homes were raided, and over 250 people detained,&rdquo; Rai alleged, as AAP observed Monday as Black Day in protest.
Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad, Rai announced a statewide Kisan Mahapanchayat on October 31 to be addressed by Arvind Kejriwal, marking his second Gujarat visit in two months. &ldquo;Farmers of Gujarat want justice, dignity and fair prices for their crops,&rdquo; Rai said, adding that AAP will raise farmer issues across all 400 APMCs in the state.
He accused the ruling BJP of &ldquo;waging war on farmers&rdquo; and said, &ldquo;The way tear gas was fired and arrests made through the night, it seems the government has turned against its own people.&rdquo; Drawing parallels to Gujarat&rsquo;s historic uprisings, Rai invoked the Kheda, Navnirman and 1987 farmers&rsquo; movements, asserting that &ldquo;no government can suppress farmers with lathis and tear gas&rdquo;.
Rai alleged that corruption in the kadada pratha system,&nbsp; where farmers are forced to sell produce below market rates, triggered the unrest. &ldquo;The police behaved as if they were attacking Pakistan. This cruelty will not be tolerated,&rdquo; he said, urging national farmer leaders to stand with Gujarat&rsquo;s cultivators as AAP gears up for a major farmer's mobilization at the end.&nbsp;
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Botad Clash: AAP Calls Police Action 'Unjust'

Gopal Rai condemns crackdown on Gujarat farmers, announces Kejriwal’s Oct 31 rally

Botad Clash: AAP Calls Police Action 'Unjust'

Gopal Rai condemns crackdown on Gujarat farmers, announces Kejriwal’s Oct 31 rally

October 13, 2025 | 16:16 IST