Hardik sets Nov 3 deadline for Congress on Patidar quota

Under attack for cosying up to the Congress, PAAS leader Hardik Patel on Saturday sought to know the party’s stand on quotas for Patels by November 3.

“Congress must clarify how it proposes to give reservations constitutionally by November 3, 2017. If it does not make its stand clear, an episode similar to Amit Shah could repeat in Surat,” Hardik tweeted.

Hardik has been claiming that if the Congress clarifies its stand on the reservation issue, he would support the party in the Assembly elections.

Several members of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti had on September 8 created a ruckus at Amit Shah’s rally, forcing the BJP president to cut short his speech.

When Shah sought to kick off the Gujarat Gaurav yatra from Karamsad on October 1, several PAAS youth tried to disrupt the event, raising slogans such as ‘Jai Sardar, Jai Patidaar’.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, too, is slated to hold a rally in South Gujarat
during his three-day visit to the region, starting from November 1 or 3.

Hardik’s ultimatum comes a day after a series of audio clips, purportedly of PAAS
leader Narendra Patel talking about financial onnivance between the outfit and the Congress, began doing the rounds on Friday.