Young Patidar leader Hardik Patel says BJP has no vision for Gujarat, so it came up with an eight-page booklet with no data, no agenda, calling it a manifesto.
Young Patidar leader Hardik Patel’s rallies and road-shows are proving to be the biggest crowd-pullers in this Gujarat election. But the resignation of his close aide Dinesh Bambhania from the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), which spearheaded the Patel quota agitation, has come as a dampner for his movement. Hardik, 23, however puts up a brave face saying he was expecting it.
Excerpts from an interview with Associate Editor Kumar Anshuman:
Your friend and close associate Dinesh Bambhania has resigned from PAAS blaming the reservation formula offered by the Congress.
I knew it was coming. People can have different views. I wish good luck to Dinesh-bhai in his fight. I shall continue with my struggle.
A number of PAAS leaders have left you in the past three months, levelling similar allegations. Won’t it impact your movement?
Yes, it is having an impact (said in a sarcastic tone). You just see the crowd that is coming. Earlier, if it was 40,000 people, now the crowd has swelled to 60,000. The impact is there for everyone to see.
But a good crowd doesn’t always translate into votes.
It won’t be fair for me to comment on this now. All of you can analyse this once the poll results are out.
Deputy CM Nitin Patel says that you are a leader of only a handful of Patidars and you are trying to divide the society.
At least he has started accepting me as a leader. Wait for 18 December to know whether I am a small or big leader. When did I talk of dividing the society? In my public meetings, people from all communities welcome me. I talk about jobs, education, farmers’ plight and problems of the trader community.
What is BJP talking about? Their vision is so blurred that they can’t even bring out a manifesto. They have come out with an eight-page booklet with no data, no agenda and they are calling it a manifesto.
Knowing the Supreme Court order that total reservation can’t exceed 50 per cent, do you think that the Congress formula for Patidar quota is real?
Tell me why it is not possible and where in the law it says that it cannot cross the limit of 50 per cent? There is a procedure for that and the Congress has agreed to follow the proper procedure. Let’s give them a chance.
Booth management is an area wherein the Congress is no match for the BJP. What do you have to say?
This time, the Congress is working on improving its booth management and that will be visible during the elections. In fact, the BJP is facing a problem in finding people who can hold fort on the ground. Earlier, people like me used to do that for the BJP. Now, we will teach them a lesson.
Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani told ThePrint that he would campaign with you. Are you ready for it?
I am covering more than 300 km a day, doing more than four meetings. I will travel to every part of Gujarat and want Jignesh to win. If a young person like him wins the assembly elections, it will be good for Gujarat.
Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar called PM Modi ‘neech’.
What Aiyar said is wrong and the Congress quickly took action against him. Now, what about BJP leaders who hurled abuses against Sonia Gandhi, calling her a barmaid? What action was taken against them by the BJP?