Patidar leader Hardik Patel joins Congress, likely to fight Lok Sabha polls

Hardik Patel had formally announced his decision to join the party last week in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi.

“People ask me why I chose the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. I chose Rahul Gandhi because he is honest. He does not believe in working like a dictator,” PTI quoted Patel as saying. (Source: INC)

Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who shot to fame by leading a quota stir in Gujarat and is likely to fight the Lok Sabha polls, joined the Congress on Tuesday. Patel had formally announced his decision to join the party last week in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi.

While addressing a rally near Adalaj village in Gandhinagar, the Patidar quota agitation leader Tuesday asked the gathering if his decision to join the Congress was right, to which people unanimously voiced “yes”. Click here for more election news

Ahead of the general election, Patel said he could now work for the six crore people of Gujarat in a better way, PTI reported.

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Patel said that during the Pulwama attack, when Congress had postponed its rally, earlier scheduled on February 28, Modi was occupied addressing gatherings across the country, PTI quoted him as saying.

While on the other hand, Patel showered party chief Rahul Gandhi with praises and cited Gandhi’s “honesty” as his reason to join the party.

“People ask me why I chose the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. I chose Rahul Gandhi because he is honest. He does not believe in working like a dictator,” PTI quoted Patel as saying.

About joining the Congress, Patel had earlier said, “To give shape to my intentions, to serve the society and the country at large, I have decided to join the Indian National Congress, the oldest political party of India on 12th March 2019 in the presence of its national president Rahul Gandhi and other seniors leaders. I would also like to state that if there is no legal hindrance and the party decides to field me in electoral politics, I would abide by the party’s decision and contest the elections,” he said.

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Meanwhile, Patel’s decision to join the Congress received flak from the BJP on Monday. In a press statement, Gujarat BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said that Patel had “spread venom and disharmony among communities” while acting as an “instrument of the Congress” till now, and he will now do it directly.

What “lollipop did Congress offer you”, asked Pandya during the presser.

The Congress Working Committee met today in Ahmedabad where president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the party’s top leadership started discussions on key poll issues at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial in Gandhinagar.