Members of the pro-quota outfit Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) led by the 25-year-old Hardik Patel are putting in hard efforts to expand the ongoing pro-quota agitation beyond the boundaries of Gujarat.
large number activists belonging to PAAS are travelling extensively in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Maharashtra and meeting people of Patidar like communities in these State to mobilise support for the Hardik’s indefinite fast agitation starting from August 25 in Ahmedabad.
Sources in PAAS said that PAAS was expecting thousands of people from at five States would join Hardik and others in the fast agitation. Already groundwork within Gujarat has been almost done to make the event successful as PAAS activists are seeing the fast agitation as ‘show of strength’ ahead of the lok Sabha polls slated in mid-2019.
PAAS activists are holding group meetings in Patidar dominated areas of Gujarat to bring maximum number of people, especially farmers and women from across the State.
Meanwhile, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has not yet given ground for the relay fast agitation of PAAS. Despite the fact PAAS leader Hardik is adamant to set on indefinite fast a day before auspicious Raksha Bandhan festival. Hardik and other PAAS workers say that even if they wouldn’t get permission from competent authorities –AMC and the Police department, the fast agitation would be held as per its schedule.
Patel claimed that he and his supporters would stage relay-fast at a private party plot in the eastern part of Ahmedabad and daily minimum 50,000 people would remain present there. In order to mobile support of women belonging to Patidar community, an event of tying Rakhi to Hardik has been planned on the auspicious day of Raksha Bandhan (August 26) at the venue the fast agitation.
PAAS in its official statement said that despite repeated requests in writing as well as orally, AMC didn’t give a single ground to the pro-quota outfit in Ahmedabad, hence it was decided to organise the fast agitation at a private party plot situated in Nikol area of the city. However, sources in the police department said that if PAAS activists would stage fast agitation without permission, strict action would be taken by the police against them.
With hardly 6-7 months to go for the Parliament elections, Patel is strategically reviving the pro-quota agitation that too from August 25 to mark third anniversary of mega-rally that was held at GMDC ground of Ahmedabad in 2015. In fact the mega-rally helped Patel to establish himself as a leader of Patidars. It is worth mentioning that population of politically powerful Patidar community is nearly 15 per cent of Gujarat’s total population.
Over the past three years, Hardik Patel led PAAS is demanding reservation in government jobs as well as educational institutions under OBC category for Patidar youth.