Senior leader of the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Praful Patel on Tuesday met Hardik Patel at his residence where he is sitting on an indefinite fast since last Saturday.
After meeting the agitating pro-quota leader, the NCP leader criticised Gujarat police for not allowing Hardik’s supporters to pay visit at his residence. Talking to reporters the former Union Minister said that it was constitutional right of a person to go on fast, but the State Government and police were mistreating Hardik. He went on to say that his party was supporting Hardik’s demand of reservation to Patidars and debt waiver for farmers.
Not only NCP, Hardik is also getting support from Rahul Gandhi led Congress party and if claims of the 25-year-old Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) have to be believed, Bengal Chief Minister and supremo of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) Mamata Banerjee as well as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who is also the top leader of Aam Aadami Party (AAP) have extended support to him.
On Monday evening as many as 28 sitting Gujarat legislators of Congress party paid visit to Hardik and after that they submitted a memorandum to Governor OP Kohli as well state Human Rights Commission. Former Union Minister of Railways and senior leader of TMC Dinesh Trivedi also met Hardik Patel at his residence on the auspicious day of Rakshabandhan.
With lok Sabha polls are coming closer, PAAS has revived the pro-quota agitation from August 25 to mark the third anniversary of first mega-rally at GMDC ground in Ahmedabad. As part of the strategy, Hardik has initiated the fast agitation with his original demand to get reservations for Patidars in government jobs and educational institutions under OBC category. This time he is also demanding debt waiver for farmers.