Hardik Patel Backs Congress, Accepts Party’s Quota ‘Deal’ For Patidars

Patidar leader Hardik Patel today (22 November) declared his support for the Congress in the Gujarat elections next month and said the opposition party had accepted its demand for reservation for the Patel community.

The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader said the Congress would include the extension of reservation benefit to Patidars in its election manifesto.

“Congress people are not our cousins, but when they speak about our rights we have to listen to it. And the formula they have offered is plausible,” he said. “Nowhere in the Indian constitution it is written that more than 50 per cent reservation cannot be given,” he said, adding, “Congress has promised to put its formula to give reservation to non-reserved categories in its election manifesto.”

Congress has “agreed to give Patidars reservations under section 31 and provisions of section 46 and it will bring in a bill when they come in power,” he said.

Patel also said that he would not join any political party.

“We have never appealed to anyone to vote for Congress, but since they are talking about our rights, we leave it to people to decide,” he told reporters.

The Congress, which has mounted a hectic campaign to dislodge the long-ruling BJP in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and saffron party chief Amit Shah, has been wooing the Patel stir spearhead for quite some time.

This development comes just days after PAAS and Congress leaders clashed over sharing of seats for the upcoming assembly elections.

With inputs from PTI

Also Read: Attention, Patidars! Congress Can’t Give You Reservation Even If It Wins Gujarat