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Nandini Oza
Nandini Oza

GUJARAT

Patel leaders accuse Hardik of misguiding community

hardik-patel-afp [File] Hardik Patel | AFP

Even as Patidar stir leader Hardik Patel continues to draw huge crowds at his public meetings and rallies in Gujarat, community leaders under the aegis of Patidar Organisation Committee on Wednesday alleged that Patidar Anamat Andolan had now become Private Anamat Andolan. 

The Committee is an outfit of socio-religious organisations and Trusts from different parts of the state and has both Leuva and Kadva Patels. Earlier, the members had also taken part in dialogue with the state government in which members of PAAS and Sardar Patel Group, another outfit, were also present. 

Committee convener R. P. Patel said in Ahmedabad that till the time Hardik demanded reservation under the OBC category, they were all support for him. “However, now he is demanding it under EBC,” said Patel. He and another Committee leader C. K. Patel claimed that the state government had agreed to undertake a survey so that the reservation on constitutional lines can be worked out.

R. P. Patel said that the state government had already set up a Commission for those not under OBC, as a stopgap arrangement. Police cases, not under legal tangle, are being withdrawn and a retired high court judge is looking into the alleged atrocities on Patidars in 2015. 

He questioned the motive of Hardik to hold what he termed as “secret talks” with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi. Patel alleged that Hardik and the Congress were misguiding the Patidars and that they should stop doing it immediately.

Pointed out that Hardik was drawing huge crowds, Patel claimed that this was because the people in rural areas do not know the reality and are not educated. The members said that they would meet people of the community to make them aware about their point of view.

He claimed that their demand for reservation under the OBC still stands and that they would praise the Congress government also, like the incumbent BJP government, if it gives reservation after coming to power. 

PAAS has been rejecting the state government's offers saying it that they are mere sops. The state government at one point of time has also given 10 per cent reservation under the EBC but the Gujarat High Court rejected it on the grounds that no survey was undertaken. 

PAAS core committee members are expected to meet a battery of lawyers of the Congress led by Kapil Sibal around next week. The agitating Patidars had sought an understanding about how the Congress would provide them reservation as per the Constitution.

While the committee members sounded pro ruling party and said that there was now no need for an agitation, Hardik has been openly asking the masses to dethrone the BJP from power.

The Committee members denied that they were under any pressure from the state government to meet the press.

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Topics : #Hardik Patel

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