When the Gujarat police slapped two sedition cases against the 22-year-old maverick Hardik Patel, who spearheaded highly charged agitation against the State government demanding quotas for the Patel community, no one had an inkling that Hardik would continue to keep the government on toe from within the jail also.
His series of letters threatening another stir when he is released from the jail, did not only force the Anandiben government to rethink its strategy on dealing with those involved in the agitation but also put the government and the party (BJP) in a tight spot where both appear struggling to get out of the mess.
Recently, Gujarat's Minister of State for Home, Rajni Patel asked the Home department to withdraw over a dozen cases against the Patel agitationists in Patan district. Similarly, last month, the state government decided to withdraw 74 police cases involving 380 Patel community members who were allegedly involved in the violent agitation.
However, the government's efforts and offers to buy peace with firebrand Hardik don't seem to have cut much ice with him, as is evident from his letters that he wrote from jail.
His latest letter addressed to some prominent Patel community leaders, who were reportedly negotiating with the Gujarat government Ministers and others to resolve the issues, slamming them for allegedly "sacrificing the interests of the Patel community while negotiating with the government."
Those named in the letter include Surat-based leading builders and patrons of the Patel community: Mathur Savani, Lavji Badshah, Bhimjibhai Nakrani and Vasudev Patel.
Lavji Badshah is a diamond baron and realtor who had bought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's controversial pinstriped and monogrammed suit for whopping 4.5 crore.
"Lavjibhai, what have you done for Patel youngsters who were killed in police firing during the agitation? Have you thought of donating even rs 450 to their families?" he asked, charging him and others of "playing with the interests of Patel community."
He has also stated that "the BJP will suffer in the next assembly polls in 2017 the way it suffered in the recently held local panchayat elections which the Congress swept."
The opposition Congress swept the panchayat polls wiping out the saffron party from 24 of the 31 district panchayats where the polls were held.
Hardik's theatricals from jail and the Anandiben administration's confused approach towards the agitation has pushed the governance on back creating a sense of paralysis in the administration.
