Gujarat government invites Hardik Patel for talks on reservation

Ahmedabad : Gujarat : 10/10/2015. 'Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti', (PAAS) movement convener and Founder of Patel Navnirman Sena (PNS) Hardik Patel addressing a press conference at Private Party Plot outskirt of Ahmedabad on Saturday October 10, 2015. Hardik Patel, recently lead an agitation demanding reservation for the Patel community in Gujarat. Photo : Vijay Soneji.

In a sudden move, the Gujarat government has invited the Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel for talks on the quota issue.

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel told the media in Gandhinagar that the government is prepared to talk to leaders of the agitation on the quota issue.  

"The government has invited Hardik Patel and others to talk on the issue of quota," he said.  

Interestingly, the government's move to invite the 23-year-old Mr. Patel, who is exiled and is currently in Udaipur as part of the bail condition set by the Gujarat High Court, comes a few days after he addressed a rally via video conference in which he asked the Patidars to "root out the BJP from the State in the next Assembly polls." 

It must be noted that he was slapped with two sedition cases by the Gujarat police and was in jail for several months before he was granted bail by the Gujarat High Court in July last.  

"The central point of any talk with the Gujarat government would be on the demand of quota for the Patidar community," he said.