Former Uttar Pradesh CM and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav took to Twitter on Monday to praise Hardik Patel’s agitation and appealed to him to give up the fast because the people and his supporters needed his leadership. Hardik has been fasting at his Ahmedabad residence since August 25, demanding reservation for Patidars in government jobs, education and farm loan waiver.
Akhilesh Yadav lauded the efforts of Hardik Patel for his community and farmers of Gujarat and his struggle for achieving his resolve by sitting on hunger strike. Akhilesh appealed to Hardik to care of his health and his supporters would need his active leadership to spread awareness among the masses.
leaders of various political parties have come out in support of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel, with some of them appealing to him to give up the fast, which entered the tenth day on Monday.
The efforts of the SP president to reach out to the Gujarat youth leader are politically significant as Hardik Patel is fast emerging as an icon of the Kurmi community, the dominant OBCs community of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. State president of the Samajwadi Party Naresh Uttam is also from the Kurmi community.
The BJP is cautious of the need for retaining the support of the Kurmis and other OBCs community ahead of the 2019 lok Sabha elections and is organising meetings of different social groups in lucknow. last week, the OBC Morcha of the BJP had organised a meeting of the Pal/Baghel community. To consolidate its hold on the Kurmi vote-bank, the backward caste morcha of the BJP is organising a meeting of Kurmi leaders here on September 12. The BJP in alliance with the Kurmi-dominated Apna Dal (Sonelal) had cornered a large share of Kurmi votes in the 2014 lok Sabha elections and 2017 UP Assembly elections. Apna Dal has two MPs and nine MlAs in the UP Assembly.