In a move that could escalate the ongoing tussle between the Gujarat government and Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Sunday detained pro-quota stir leader Hardik Patel and over 40 of his supporters ahead of his proposed one-day token fast. He was released on bail later in the evening. Patel accused that the BJP government is Gujarat is acting like “Britishers”.
Patel had sought permission for a ground in Nikol, in eastern part of Ahmedabad, to sit on an indefinite hunger strike from August 25 in support of his demand for reservation for the Patidar community, loan waivers for farmers and several other issues concerning the common man.
While the permission was denied, he wrote to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani requesting permission for a day's token fast on Sunday. The government rejected the request and detained Patel and his supporters when they were on their way to Nikol. They were planning to observe fast sitting in their cars.
After the release, Patel said it was shocking that the government even denied him the permission to sit on a hunger strike. “I fasted even in the jail,” he said, announcing that he would sit on an indefinite hunger strike from August 25.
August 25 will mark the third anniversary of Hardik's mega rally in Ahmedabad, that put him on the centrestage. In the violence that broke out after it, 14 Patidars lost their lives in different parts of the state.
PAAS had proceeded with the pro-quota stir despite a slew of announcements by the Gujarat government for the non-reserved category.
Patel took to social media to say that it is the democratic right of people to protest and voice their concern.
Dinesh Bambhania, a former close aide of Patel and PAAS leader, told THE WEEK that the state government was doing wrong by denying the permission. He said that if they were denied permission for the programme from August 25, they would intensify their stir by boycotting government programmes.
The ruling BJP had suffered reverses due to the Patidar stir in the local self-government elections and in the 2017 assembly elections.