'Frustrated and bored,' Congress leader Hardik Patel awaits 'work' from party

Nearly six months after he was elevated as Gujarat Congress' Working President, 27-year-old Hardik Patel, the face of biggest Patidar agitation in the state in recent history, is getting "bored" and "frustrated" as he is yet to get any responsibility or work from the party.

He said that it is "frustrating" that he is not able to contribute much to the party he joined in 2017, the year that Congress came any closer in dethroning the BJP in Gujarat. Since then, the Congress has been struggling to keep its team intact with scores of its MLAs jumping the ship to BJP.

In a conversation with DH on Tuesday afternoon at Prasangam party plot, S G Highway in Ahmedabad, where he meets visitors these days, he said, "It's nice that I got the post, but I am getting really bored as I am yet to get any responsibility from the party. I am not a leader who likes to run the party by sitting in the office. I am andolanjivi (a term coined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday for protesters) and would like my party to give me a chance to do that again, hit streets, mobilize people and fight for justice."

Hardik said this when asked if he regretted joining the Congress.

He added, "I have always liked the party of Jawarharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Indira Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi. The only thing sad or regrettable is that I have been given the responsibility of Working President but I am yet to get any work. I need to work. Give me any work...make me run anywhere...tell me to take out 1000 km padayatra. I will do that but give me work. The only regret I have is that I should get an opportunity to fulfil the responsibility I have been bestowed on. What would be the worth of this designation if I don't get the chance to prove it."

Saying that he himself is the product of an "andolan" (movement), Hardik said, "We can't run the party by sitting in the office. Do we want to talk to 10 people or a lakh? My problem is that I am sitting alone with no work. I get bored and mad."

According to party insiders, Hardik Patel is facing issues with many leaders-both seniors and juniors, who felt "disappointed" after he was promoted to his current post. "There are NSUI leaders and senior party members who still have not accepted him as their leader," said a Congress leader.

It is widely believed that Congress is going to lose in the local body polls and its performance in the rural areas will also be affected largely due to its inaction.

When asked about it Hardik responded, "We are still strong in rural areas but we do need to think over and work a lot in winning the trust of urban citizens. People don't like BJP but they always ask us (Congress) what we are doing. They have lots of hope from the opposition. I think we need to get more aggressive in our fight, such as hitting the streets, ready to be beaten up by lathi-danda (sticks), go to jail for justice etc. Only if we hit streets, can we replicate it in the Assembly."

When asked what is stopping the party from doing this, he said, "There is no dearth of leadership. We have a lot of them but we need to be decisive and aggressive. How much can the BJP beat us? We will have to bear it. Be it Gandhi, Sardar or Nehru, they were all jailed and only then did we get our freedom. Not for power but for service if we fight, we will get the result."

He also mentioned how he is facing 32 criminal cases including two cases of sedition.

"I still can't leave Gujarat and cannot enter a district due to court cases," he quipped referring to criminal cases in which his bail conditions prohibit his movement outside the state boundary. Since 2016, he has been prohibited from entering Mehsana district, the epicentre of Patidar agitation he led back in 2015.