Hardik Patel, leader of the movement demanding reservation for the Patidar (Patel) community, will visit Delhi on Sunday, ostensibly to meet Jat and Gujjar leaders spearheading agitations for quota for their communities and participate in a programme of a Hindi television channel.
“Hardikbhai will go to Delhi tomorrow [Sunday] morning and try and meet Jat and Gujjar leaders who are heading agitations for OBC [Other Backward Classes] status for their communities. At 2 p.m., he shall hold a press conference at Gurjar Bhavan in Delhi,” his close aide Chirag Patel told The Hindu .
He was unable to give the names of the Jat and Gujjar leaders. “All that will be clear at the press conference. The Delhi stopover is just a step to coordinating our agitation with all those who are demanding OBC status,” he said. The television channel confirmed that Mr. Hardik Patel would be its guest.
The 22-year-old leader of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti has been sending confusing political signals, which make his visit to Delhi a must-watch. After getting support of Janata Dal(U) leader Nitish Kumar by saying the Kurmi community in Bihar is his own, Mr. Patel heaped praise on the late Bal Thackeray, Shiv Sena founder, prompting JD(U) president Sharad Yadav to distance the party from Mr. Hardik Patel. “Do the Patels in Gujarat need reservation,” Mr. Sharad Yadav queried after hearing his praise of the Sena leadership.
Conspiracy charge
The Congress has already termed the agitation a right-wing conspiracy to end reservations based on caste lines.
With these signals, Mr. Hardik Patel’s search for political ground has become interesting. “Our appeal to the Patel community will be based on its sense of pride and entrepreneurship; it is one of the most enterprising communities and it doesn’t behove it to seek backward status,” a senior State BJP leader said.
| 1 | “As no violence was reported in the state, curfew has been lifted from all the parts of the State, where it was clamped on August 25,” Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), P.P. Pandey told PTI . |
| 2 | In Ahmedabad, curfew has been lifted from all the nine police station areas as the situation remained completely peaceful for around two days, officials said. |
| 3 | Heavy deployment of paramilitary forces continued in all the areas hit by violence that had began from August 25 after Hardik Patel was detained by the city police. |
| 4 | The Gujarat High Court on Friday told the State government that restoration of peace should be on high priority. |
| 5 | The State government submitted that it proposes to take action action against the errant officers. The court then directed the state to report to the court what action it plans to take on September 3, next date of hearing. |
| 6 | Hardik Patel threatened to intensify the agitation and decided to rope in Gujjars for support. |
| 7 | “I am heading towards Delhi to meet the leaders of the Gurjar agitation to take their help to intensify our agitation in Gujarat,” Hardik Patel said. |
| 8 | The 22-year-old said his sole objective is the inclusion of Patel community in the OBC category and not the abolition of the quota system but ruled out negotiations on the issue. |
| 9 | Hardik Patel has warned the BJP that “lotus would not bloom” in the next Assembly elections if their demand is not met. |
| 10 | BJP president Amit Shah will be in Ahmedabad on Saturday for the first time after the big rally held by those agitating for Patidar reservation and the police crackdown which led to the death of 10 people. |
