After sleaze videos involving him and his close aides went viral on social media platforms ahead of the Assembly polls in Gujarat, Hardik Patel, Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader, on Thursday accused the ruling BJP of “masterminding Operation Character Assassination”.
He termed the videos “morphed and fabricated”, and named two persons who reportedly made them to implicate him.
“I have already said all CDs and videos are morphed. Even before they surfaced, I had publicly stated that some sleaze CDs would surface to damage me,” Mr. Patel said. He said he would speak on the CD episode at a public rally in Mansa on Saturday.
His close aide Dinesh Bambhania told presspersons that “top BJP leaders” were involved in this exercise “funded by the BJP”.
“Not one or two but as many as 52 such fake, morphed and fabricated CDs have been made to tarnish the image of Hardik and other leaders. Since the BJP is not able to fight Hardik politically, it is now masterminding the character-assassination operation,” Mr. Bambhania said.
He rejected the argument that the videos had damaged Mr. Patel’s reputation.
“Instead of damage, the whole CD episode has once again proved that the State government and the BJP can go to any extent to target those spearheading the quota agitation,” he said.
He said a Surat-based builder, who is known for his proximity to Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani, financed the creation of the fake videos abroad.
“We fear some rape or sexual assault case may be foisted upon Hardik ahead of the polls,” he added.
He also alleged that some senior cops were also involved in the exercise at the behest of their political masters.
“First, the government used the videos to blackmail us into reaching a compromise with the ruling party and withdraw the agitation. But when we did not budge, the videos were circulated in media before the polls,” said another close associate of Mr Patel.
BJP stand
The BJP leaders, who initially believed the videos would damage the 24-year-old quota agitation leader, have distanced the party from the episode and said they were filmed and released by his “internal rivals”.
“We have nothing to do with it. It’s internal issue of Hardik and his rivals,” Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel told journalists in Ahmedabad.
