The Patel agitation leader, Hardik Patel, who called off his reverse Dandi March scheduled for Sunday, is set to meet Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel to discuss the demand for quota in government jobs and educational institutions for the dominant Patel community.
The Gujarat government was reportedly pressed into firefighting mode by the Prime Minister’s Office, which asked State Finance Minister Saurabh Patel to play the mediator, as the escalating agitation by the powerful community was putting the government on the back foot.
“The government has invited us for discussions on our demand for extending OBC status to the Patidar community. The meeting will take place on Monday,” Mr. Patel told journalists.
“If the talks are not fruitful, we will launch the Dandi March on September 15,” Mr. Patel said, insisting that he did not drop the march under government pressure.
The 22-year-old Hardik was persuaded to come for talks by Mr. Saurabh Patel, a prominent troubleshooter during the earlier Modi administration but subsequently sidelined by the incumbent Chief Minister. Ms. Anandiben Patel had earlier made it clear that “no quotas were possible for the Patel community,” citing the Supreme Court ruling limiting quotas within 49 per cent.
“The agitation was escalating and the Patels, a powerful diaspora community, threatened to hold a protest march during the Prime Minister’s visit to the U.S. later this month,” said a top bureaucrat, adding, “the PMO was concerned about the way the agitation was going.”
Last week, three top State Ministers faced strong protests from Patel women.
Hardik Patel, spearheading the agitation for quota in government jobs and educational institutions for the dominant Patel community in Gujarat, on Sunday patched up with the leader of another outfit, Sardar Patel Group (SPG), which had jointly launched the agitation with his Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS).
“Lalji Patel [head of SPG] is my elder brother and we are one in this movement, which will go on for several years before we get any result,” Mr. Hardik said after meeting Mr. Lalji, who was once his mentor.
