Ahmedabad: Accusing PAAS leader Hardik Patel of sowing seeds of division within the Patidar community, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minster Nitin Patel has said that the Congress’ quota promise for the community is a hogwash.
“Some foolish people have handed over a piece of paper to another set of fools,” said Nitin Patel, while reacting to Hardik’s claims on Congress agreeing to give reservation to the Patels in Gujarat.
Patel said the PAAS agitation over the last two years was to seek inclusion of Patidars in the OBC list. The current proposal does not meet that demand.
“It has spread casteism in the society. He has damaged the prestige of a community and has no right to invoke Sardar Patel and Bhagat Singh,” the deputy chief minister said, launching a scathing attack on the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader.
Responding to BJP’s allegations, Hardik Patel said that the deputy chief minister is branding the entire Patidar community as fools.
गुजरात के Dy.Cm ने पाटीदार समुदाय को मूर्ख कहा,सुन लो भाजपा वालों आप गुजरात की जनता को मूर्ख मत समझो,यह गुजरात की जनता अब आपको जनता राज दिखाएगी ।।— Hardik Patel (@HardikPatel_) November 22, 2017
Congress leader and former Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal, while addressing the media on Wednesday, did not reveal much about the specifics of the Congress’ quota proposal.
“It is a well thought out proposal,” is all that Sibal said.
Sibal has had a series of meeting with the Patidar leaders on the issue. It was only after several rounds of talks that the party had finalized its proposal on the basis of the one prepared by the Hardik Patel.
Within minutes of Hardik announcing the quota deal with the Congress, AIMIM leader and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi joined the debate. Campaigning in faraway Uttar Pradesh for the ongoing local body elections, Owaisi sought to know from the Congress its stand on reservations for socially and educationally backward Muslims.
Hardik Patel says Congress has agreed to give Patidar community JAI Ho,Reservation not for Muslims who r socially& educationally backward & there is empirical evidence of it BUT Muslims are politically weak,disempowered told t be quiet STOCKHOLM Syndrome https://t.co/c5WL2NDmrS— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) November 22, 2017
Reacting to this, Congress’ Gujarat in-charge Ashok Gehlot accused Owaisi of using the opportunity to benefit BJP in the elections season.
“Such netas say such things during elections only to benefit the BJP,” said Gehlot.
Comments
0 comment