Even as the first phase of polling in Gujarat is merely two weeks away, the Congress received a major boost to its prospects of coming to power in the state as Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader
Hardik Patel announced that PAAS has accepted Congress' formula on reservation.
Patel, who made the announcement in Ahmedabad, told people not to waste their votes on independent candidates or candidates of any other party (read the BJP). “We have been campaigning against the BJP, which means a direct or indirect support to the Congress,” he said.
Since mid 2015, PAAS has been demanding reservation under OBC category, which the state government has denied, saying as per the Supreme Court guidelines, reservation can't be over 49 per cent. The government did give 10 per cent reservation to economically backward class (EBC), but the Gujarat High Court rejected it saying a survey was not undertaken before taking the decision to grant reservation. The case is now in Supreme Court.
The PAAS leader claimed that the Congress agreed that Patidars and others who do not fall under the OBC will be given benefits as per the Constitution. The decision, of course, is subject to the Congress coming to power. According to sources, a bill to this effect will also have to be introduced. The Congress is also reported to have agreed to set up a separate commission in this regard.
While he claimed that other Patidar organisations too had said they had agreed to the proposal, reports indicate that two important religious outfits of Patidars—Khodaldham Trust and Umiya Mata Trust—had either still not agreed to it or not received the proposal.
The Congress has also agreed to undertake a survey in justification of giving reservation to Patidars.
In the recent past, PAAS had been giving ultimatums to the Congress to clear its stand with regard to reservation or face its wrath in the upcoming elections. Patidars constitute 12 per cent of voters in the state.
Patel said BJP was not their enemy, but it killed 14 Patidars. Fourteen persons had lost their lives in the violence that took place in Ahmedabad on August 25, 2015. The Congress too is not over “relative”, but it has heard Patidars, Patel added.
The Patidar leader claimed that they had not demanded any tickets from the Congress but at the same time admitted that they did suggest some names so that a “better” candidate is fielded to take on the BJP.
He clarified that he was not joining any political party for the next few years.
Patel alleged that he was offered Rs 1,200 crore while he was in the jail by K. Kailashnathan, a top IAS officer. “If I was saleable, I would have bowed down then,” he said.
Uneasy over Patel's remarks and open support of sorts for the Congress, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel alleged that Patel has no knowledge of law.
The DyCM alleged that the Congress and Patel stood exposed. “Fools proposed and fools accepted”, he said about the formula that was proposed by the Congress.
Alleging that Patel would become a blot for the Patidars and would regret in the future, the deputy CM warned him that the Congress needed him only till December 14, the day of second and last phase of polling.
He further said history would not forgive the Patidar leader and that many such leaders have come and gone in the past during agitations and even their neighbours do not know about it.
Meanwhile, Patel said the current core committee of PAAS would be restructured as the ones contesting elections would have to quit the Committee.
