Patidar quota spearhead Hardik Patel on Wednesday ended his indefinite fast after 19 days and vowed to continue his fight seeking farm loan waivers and quota for Patidars.
Even as he ended his fast at the insistence of community leaders, there was no sign of any talks at any level with the state government regarding his twin demands, farm loan waiver and quotas to the Patidars, as the BJP government apparently showed no interest in any talk and instead dubbed his fast as “Congress sponsored agitation.”
While breaking his hunger strike, the 25-year-old slammed BJP and said “he would not like to play in the hands of those who want to see him die of hunger.” In a tweet on Wednesday before he broke the fast, he said, "I can die for those who love me, who want to keep me alive. But my friends, I would not oblige those who want to kill me by dying."
ADVERTISEMENT
He told the Patidar community leaders, who offered him lime water and coconut water to end his fast unto death, that “he is bowing to them out of respect to the community elders but his fight with those were keen to see him die will continue till the demands were fulfilled.
“It is better to fight and be dubbed as anti-national than being a mute spectator,” he said, addressing his supporters gathered at his residence where he broke the fast in presence of top community leaders and conveners of his Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS).
He also reiterated his demand of release of his aide Alpesh Kathiria, who was arrested before Hardik launched his indefinite fast on August 25, on sedition charge. Mr. Kathiria is presently in jail.
ADVERTISEMENT
A number of senior politicians visited him in solidarity and expressed their support to his causes, particularly his fight against the BJP government in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state Gujarat.
Among those who visited him include Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav and former Union minister and senior DMK leader A. Raja, former union minister Yashwant Sinha and BJP parliamentarian Shatrughna Sinha, NCP leader Praful Patel, former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat and many others during the course of his hunger strike.