‘Kingmaker’ Hardik Patel To Decide On Supporting Congress By Nov. 6
Patel’s support will finally rest on the party accepting the Patidars’ demand for reservations.
Patidar Leader Hardik Patel will decide whether to support the Indian National Congress in the upcoming Gujarat elections by November 6 as the party looks to garner support in the state.
Four out of five demands made by him have been met by the Congress party, the 23-year-old leader of the Patidar Anamad Andolan Samiti told BloombergQuint in an interview. His support will finally rest on the party accepting his most crucial demand – inclusion of Patidars in the other backward caste quota, Patel said.
But even as Patel plays hardball with the Congress, he is clear about his unhappiness with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Gujarat is filled with unemployed youth, there are 40 lakh youth who have passed 12th [standard] and have no jobs. The BJP government has not been able to provide jobs.Hardik Patel, Patidar Leader
Patel represents a section of the powerful Patel community in Gujarat that has been demanding reservations citing lack of opportunities in education and government jobs. Giving in to their demands has proved to be a political challenge as separate quota for the Patels in government jobs and colleges could take the reservation percentage beyond the 50 percent currently allowed by a Supreme Court ruling.
If Hardik Patel were to pledge support to the Congress, it would pose a challenge to the incumbent BJP vying for re-election in a state it has ruled for 22 years.
“Gujarat is not the fiefdom of the BJP or any party,” says Hardik. “After so many years in power, it is natural for people to now trust the opposition.”
Watch the full interview here.