Won’t leave Cong, says Hardik as Italia says AAP’s doors are open

Hardik told the gathering, which included several Congress leaders, that he had always spoken the truth and “never lied and for which I have been defamed. In our country, we have to bring unity among all castes and creeds and move ahead”.

Addressing mediapersons on the sidelines of the event, Hardik said that if one held a post then  “you should have freedom to speak the truth… If it is a sin to speak the truth, then I am an offender. The people of Gujarat have pinned their hope on us… There would be internal fights in the party but we have to keep them aside and work unitedly for the betterment of the state”.

He added, “I have been in the party for long… I will never ever leave the party. If there are any issues in the party, one should sit together and sort it out.”

Speaking in Hindi, Hardik said he was proud to express his views on this auspicious day. “ I know that the Dalit community youths are brave and they are not afraid of any government. I belong to the Patel community and am the son of a farmer.”

According to Hardik, Gujarat’s development was because “people, putting aside their caste, creed and religion have worked together”.

“Today in our country there are forces who want to divide us on the basis of caste, creed and religion. We have to get united and fight against such forces. To make India vishwa guru, it cannot be done by people of any one caste,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Gujarat president Gopal Italia said his party was open to taking in Hardik Patel if he was unhappy in the Congress.

Italia, who is also a Patidar and was formerly associated with the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) founded by Hardik to spearhead the quota agitation, said Thursday, “Our doors are open for Hardik Patel, and we will definitely welcome such a revolutionary youth leader of Gujarat. We have seen his acceptability and liking among the Patidar community people.”

On Wednesday, Hardik had told The Indian Express that his position in the party was “like a newly married man who has been made to undergo a vasectomy”. He said that his views were not taken in appointments and important decisions taken by the party state leaders in Gujarat.

Talking to The Indian Express, Gujarat AAP president Gopal Italia said, “We have come to know that Hardik Patel is unhappy in the Congress… We wish that he should leave Congress and join AAP as a better alternative… We will extend an invitation to him and if he agrees and accepts, we will definitely welcome him to the AAP.”

About Hardik Patel, Italia added, “The working style and ideology of Hardik Patel is similar to the working style of AAP. He has a mass appeal among the Patidar community youths in the state. We have seen Hardik Patel as a young Patidar leader in the Patidar reservation movement in Gujarat that started in 2015. Naresh Patel is a self-made man who has respect among the Patidar community people for his community service work.”

Before joining the AAP, Gopal Italia was actively associated with the PAAS movement in Gujarat. Surat PAAS convener Dharmik Malaviya said, “Gopalbhai earlier supported the PAAS movement in Gujarat and even attended different programs in Ahmedabad and Saurashtra.”

It is widely believed that the Congress winning several local bodies in 2015 and winning 77 of 182 assembly seats in 2017 was because of the Patidar quota agitation that helped swing the Patidar votes in its favour. Last year, it was again the Patidar votes that led to the AAP winning 27 seats in the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) to become the opposition party.