Hardik Patel rules out negotiations

Hardik Patel rules out negotiations

FPJ BureauUpdated: Friday, May 31, 2019, 10:55 PM IST
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“Our sole objective is the inclusion of Patel community in the OBC category. We will not relent till our demand is fulfilled. And we do not want reservation system to be abolished as it is being talked.” – Hardik Patel

Ahmedabad : Ruling out negotiations on the quota issue, the Patidar leader – Hardik Patel on Friday said his sole objective is the inclusion of Patel community in the OBC category and not the abolition of the quota system.

The 22-year-old, who had brought Ahmedabad to a standstill On August 25 with a massive show of support that took a violent turn and elsewhere in the state, also says the agitation will be intensified till success is achieved.

“Our sole objective is the inclusion of Patel community in the OBC (Other Backward Classes) category. We will not relent till our demand is fulfilled”, Patel said, adding, “We do not want reservation system to be abolished as it is being talked. We just want OBC quota for Patels”, he said when asked about reports quoting him as saying that if Patels are not included the OBC category there should be total removal of the reservation system.

“I am heading towards Delhi to meet the leaders of the Gurjar agitation to take their help to intensify our agitation in Gujarat”, Patel said.

To a query whether he  wants to take the quota agitation to the national level, Patel said, “This is too early to make any statement. However, time will tell. Let us see.” Patel or Patidars are basically a farming community in Gujarat which is a numerically strong  group which has backed the ruling BJP in the state for the last 25 years.

He has warned the BJP that lotus would not bloom in the next Assembly elections if their demand is not met.

Patel, who has emerged as a young popular leader in the Patel community in a short time, remained evasive to a question whether he would join politics. He said that he has not decided on the issue and his focus is entirely on the Patel quota agitation now.

Patel’s detention after the mega rally he organised for reservation led to widespread violence in the state in which nine people lost their lives. Public properties worth crore of rupees was destroyed and army was called in to control the situation.

“There is no point in negotiation at this time (after the violence). The state government and the central government are responsible for the situation that has been created in Gujarat”, he said.

“We have demanded that state government should pay Rs.35 lakh compensation to relatives of all those who have died in the incidents and suspend all policemen who have opened fire on our people”, he said.

Normalcy returns

Meanwhile, normalcy has returned in various parts of Gujarat. Curfew was lifted in three out of the nine areas of Ahmedabad even as Army continued flag march in some sensitive areas on Friday. “Curfew has been lifted in Naranpura, Ghatlodia and Vadaj police stations areas of Ahmedabad. The decision was taken after no incident of violence was reported in these areas,” a city control room police official said.

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Guj HC slams police

The Gujarat High Court on Friday slammed the state police on the Patel quota violence saying they transgressed the law by committing atrocities on people and told the government that restoration of peace should be on high priority. The two judge bench of acting Chief Justice Jayant Patel and Justice N V Anjaria while admitting a PIL directed the state government to place a report on what actions it has taken against errant policemen. “The state must make police aware about their powers. What about the police atrocities and what actions you intend to take against the errant officers? Females were also beaten by male officers”, court said.

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23 BJP councillors quit

Outraged by the alleged police atrocities, 25 councillors of Visnagar municipality, 23 of them of BJP, have tendered their resignation as part of their protest against the alleged atrocities by police on citizens during recent violence across the state. In a similar development, BJP’s Lok Sabha MP from Amreli Naran Kachhadiya wrote letter to Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and demanded action against the responsible officers. “I saw on news channels that police were beating citizens. Police stormed people’s houses and beat up people and ransacked their furniture”, Kachhadiya said.

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