Less than 24 hours before Gujarat goes for first phase of polls, cracks have developed in the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, spearheading the agitation for quota for the Patidars, over the Congress making a mention of reservation under EBC category in its manifesto.
Elections to 89 of the 182 assembly seats spread over 19 districts of Gujarat will be held on Saturday. Polling in the remaining seats will be held on December 14. Results will be out on December 18.
Dinesh Bamaniya, close aide of Hardik Patel, PAAS leader, on Friday came out in the open and said that the agitation should be halted till December 18, the results day.
Bamaniya, who held a press conference, later told THE WEEK that his objection was to what has been written in the manifesto. Bamaniya claimed that the Congress had spoken about giving reservation to the Patidars under the OBC by bringing a bill and now they have spoken about EBC reservation.
He claimed that he had not resigned from PAAS and would continue to be a member of the Samiti. He even maintained that he was not joining any party.
Had the Congress mentioned about giving reservation under OBC in its manifesto, there would not have been any problem in extending open support to the Congress, he said. “Even the BJP had talked about reservation under the EBC.”
Bamaniya claimed that he was not in support of Hardik when it came to openly asking votes for the Congress. “I am with Hardik when it comes to reservation. I am with the Hardik of August 25, 2015,” he said. On August 25, 2015, Hardik had addressed a massive gathering in Ahmedabad.
The PAAS has been appealing to overthrow the ruling BJP government.
Asked whether his stand will indirectly benefit the BJP, Bamaniya said that he was not asking votes for the BJP.
He, however, clarified that he was not with Hardik “who is seeking votes for the Congress and whose sleaze CDs have come out”.
Hardik could not be reached for his comments.
Meanwhile, a police complaint has been lodged against Hardik in Surat. The complaint has been filed in connection with violating terms and conditions of police permission given for organising a public meeting in Surat.
Hardik had given a political speech and indirectly sought support for the Congress. He had asked the gathering to uproot the ruling BJP.
Sources said that the permission for the meeting was given on the condition that he would not give a political speech.
