News Desk, AnyTV, Ahmedabad
Published by: Gaurav Pandey
Updated Mon, 21 Feb 2022 05:47 PM IST
Summary
Hardik Patel, who led the movement to include Patidars under OBC quota in 2015, said, “I am facing 30 cases in Gujarat, including two FIRs for sedition.
Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Monday demanded that the BJP government in the state withdraw all criminal cases registered during the 2015 Patidar agitation by March 23. He warned that if the government fails to do so, after March 23, demonstrations would be launched across the state.
In the year 2015, there was an agitation to give reservation to the Patidar community under Other Backward Classes (OBC). Assembly elections are due in Gujarat in December this year and the Patidar community has a notable vote bank in the state.
Gujarat Congress working president Hardik Patel while talking to the media said that I am raising the demand for the return of the remaining cases as a quota agitator and not as a leader of the Congress party.
‘Patidar youth are being harassed’Hardik claimed, “When Anandiben Patel was the chief minister (till August 2016), around 140 cases were withdrawn as promised. Vijay Rupani, who became the Chief Minister after him, had promised to withdraw the rest of the cases but he did nothing. At present, about 200 cases are pending against about 4000 youths.
Patel said that after Bhupendra Patel became the Chief Minister, prominent Patidar leaders and MPs from the community had made a presentation in front of him regarding this. Still, he has not taken any decision in this regard so far. He said that Patidar youths are being harassed because of fake cases registered against them.
BJP rejected the threat of protestOn the other hand, BJP has rejected Hardik’s threat of protest. State BJP spokesperson Rutvij Patel said Hardik and his party have lost their political base in Gujarat. He said that they are doing such ‘stunts’ only to grab the attention of the media.
The BJP spokesperson said that the Gujarat government has withdrawn about 80 per cent of the cases registered against the agitators. He said that BJP MPs had recently requested the Chief Minister to withdraw the remaining cases. The government will withdraw all such cases which can be withdrawn under the law.
Expansion
Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Monday demanded that the BJP government in the state withdraw all criminal cases registered during the 2015 Patidar agitation by March 23. He warned that if the government fails to do so, after March 23, demonstrations would be launched across the state.
In the year 2015, there was an agitation to give reservation to the Patidar community under Other Backward Classes (OBC). Assembly elections are due in Gujarat in December this year and the Patidar community has a notable vote bank in the state.
Gujarat Congress working president Hardik Patel while talking to the media said that I am raising the demand for the return of the remaining cases as a quota agitator and not as a leader of the Congress party.