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The Congress on Sunday evening released its first list of 77 candidates for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections, and a day before Patidar leader Hardik Patel is expected to meet Congress’ top brass to finalise their agreement. Patel said on Sunday the Congress had accepted his demand for quotas in jobs and education for the Patidar community, and that a formal announcement will be made on Monday morning. [caption id=“attachment_4218343” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
File image of Hardik Patel. Courtesy: CNN-News18[/caption] However, even as Patel gets ready to join hands with the Congress, PAAS members have expressed anger about Congress’ candidate list, and are protesting in many parts of the state, claiming they were not given proper representation. Two PAAS members were given tickets in the first list, while the Hardik Patel-led organisation had demanded 20 seats. Around 20 other Patel candidates, who are not members of PAAS, also find mention in the list. The two who have been given tickets are Lalit Vasoya from Dhoraji and Amit Thummar from Junagadh seat. A
report on The Hindu
said that Hardik Patel will address a rally in Rajkot on Monday, where the tie-up with Congress will be announced. “Hardik himself will share the details on Monday, when he will also address a rally in Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s constituency in Rajkot,” PAAS convenor Dinesh Bhambania added. But Gujarat Congress president Bharat Solanki told the media, “Our meeting with PAAS leaders was positive and they have agreed on their demands.” In Surat, PAAS members ghearoed the city unit office late in the night and indulged in sloganeering against the Congress. “Our community members have not been given proper representation in the list that has been declared. We will not allow any Congress office to function in the state,” Surat city PAAS convenor Dharmik Malaviya told reporters. In Ahmedabad, Bhambania reached Solanki’s house with his supporters, to represent their case. “We will organise protests in front of every office of the Congress across the state. Bharatsinh Solanki should talk to us,” he said. However, Solanki was not present at his Ahmedabad residence. “The Congress has given tickets to two of our members without taking us into confidence. Other Patel candidates that they have selected are bogus. We will hold a massive protests against Congress,” another PAAS convenor Alpesh Kathiria said. Earlier in the day, PAAS mebers led by Bhambania and Kahiria had met Solanki and other Congress leaders. After the meeting, it was declared that they had reached a compromise formula. Sources in the party had earlier said that the PAAS was demanding around 20 seats and negotiations were on between the PAAS and Congress on seat sharing. Meanwhile, senior leader Shaktisinh Gohil who is an MLA from Abdasa of Kutch has been fielded from Mandvi. Gohil’s chance of being a chief ministerial candidate brightened after Solanki said that he would not contest the polls. The party has fielded another senior leader Arjun Modhvaida from Porbandar, which he had lost in 2012. The party has given tickets to all its sitting MLAs on the seats where names were released. The party has fielded four former MPs in the list of 77 for the first phase of the election scheduled on 9 December. It has fielded Kunverjai Bavaliya from Jasdan, Soma Patel from Limbdi, Tushar Chaudhary from Mahua and Virji Thummer from Lathi. With inputs from PTI
Hardik Patel in Rajkot updates: Rally cancelled, say reports; Patidar leader sends cryptic tweet asking politicians to stick to promises
The Congress on Sunday evening released its first list of 77 candidates for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections, and a day before Patidar leader Hardik Patel is expected to meet Congress’ top brass to finalise their agreement
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Hardik Patel tweets asking leaders to stick to their promises
Without naming the Congress, PAAS chief Hardik Patel wrote a short poem on Twitter asking leaders to not drown in politics. “Remember the promises made/ but how would you remember the words you said”.
Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki given additional security in Ahmedabad
Following protests from PAAS members on Sunday night, security was beefed up outside Gujarat Congress head Bharatsinh Solanki. PAAS leader Dinesh Bhambhani tried to meet Solanki on Sunday night and reportedly got into a quarrel with policemen outside the Congress leader’s house, as per India Today . Bhambhani had claimed Congress did not consult PAAS before the first list of candidates was announced.
Narendra Patel alleges Dinesh Bambhania made secret deal with BJP, NCP
As per the Hindustan Times , PAAS Mehsana convenor Narendra Patel, who had earlier alleged that the BJP had offered him a bribe of Rs 1 crore, has said that Hardik Patel’s close aide Dinesh Bhambania has made a covert deal with the BJP or NCP.
Media reports suggest Hardik Patel’s rally at Rajkot cancelled
The Patidar leader’s rally scheduled for today at Gondal, 25 kilometres from Rajkot has been cancelled, according to Hindustan Times . Patel was expected to make an announcement regarding the agreement reached between PAAS and Congress.
Security forces deployed outside Gujarat Congress office in Ahmedabad
Following Sunday night’s violent clashes between Congress and PAAS members, paramilitary forces have been deployed outside the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee office in Ahmedabad amid PAAS threats that they would surround the party offices, reported The Indian Express .
Hardik Patel seeks exemption from appearing in sedition case today
According to The Indian Express , Patidar leader Hardik Patel and his close aide Dinesh Bambhaniya have requested exemption from appearing in a sedition case against them due to the Congress-PAAS violence.
Hardik Patel and the ‘sex CD’ vortex: Patidar leader’s private life is inconsequential to his political ambitions
We eat, we drink and we have sex. Without these three activities, there would be no life on earth. So, what exactly is wrong with Hardik Patel’s alleged love life except for our own hypocrisy?
For the survival of life around us, nature wants us to procreate. Unless you believe in the concept of immaculate conception, or take seriously mythological stories of queens getting pregnant after eating fruits that sprung up from the flames of a yajna or by looking into the eyes of gods invited to their chambers by chanting of mantras, it should not be difficult to understand that sex is a necessary karma and dharma expected of us by nature. To add to what Dalit activist Jignesh Mewani has tweeted, sex is not just a fundamental right, it is a fundamental duty most of us and our ancestors have proudly done over the ages.
So, it is indeed hilarious that the mere fact of having sex should become not merely a talking point in an election, but also a question of Gujarati asmita. It shows that by crying over coitus, branding it kaamleela, a puerile society is so unaware of the laws of the nature that out of its imbecility it is ready to disown and mourn the very basis of its own raison d’etre.
What exactly does a country that reproduces with a vengeance expect a 24-year-old man to do just because he is a public figure? Remain celibate for the benefit of the society? Become a brahmachari for the larger good of the mob? Will it help the Patidars get a reservation, its youth more employment?
Read full article hereHardik Patel’s selling point: His unwavering demand for Patidar reservation
The biggest reason behind his (Hardik Patel’s) unwavering appeal is his commitment to the root cause of his existence–the demand for reservation for Patidars. His followers believe that Hardik may have many flaws, but his refusal to back down from the demand for quota for Patidars in spite of hardships, jail terms and excessive pressure from the government entitle him to heroism and loyalty of the community, especially the Patidar youth. Also, Hardik may have flirted with many friends, but when it comes to animus, he has been loyal to the BJP, treating it as his bitter foe. All this has ensured that every time he goes out, hundreds of followers surround him; every time he asks for the support of Patidars, thousands converge at his rallies.
Read full article hereGujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki says meeting with PAAS on Sunday was positive
Hardik Patel’s sex CD allegation seem to have little effect on Patidar leader, his supporters
Hardik Patel, the leader of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), on Saturday said the people of Gujarat want to see what the BJP has done in 23 years rather than the video of a 23-year-old youth.
Referring to a sex CD which allegedly showing the young Patidar and his sexual escapades which went viral, Patel said, “In 2007, they defamed Sanjay Joshi and now it is our turn,” repeating his earlier allegations that the CDs were released at the behest of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani after spending Rs 40 crore.
He said the BJP should not have played the game of CD, as people of Gujarat wanted to see the CD of 23-year rule and not that of a 23-year-old youngster.
According to an article on Firstpost , Hardik’s young supporters agree the videos have increased his popularity. “The videos have added to his popularity. More people would come to see him today,” his supporters say excitedly. Others think he is doing exactly what young people are supposed to do. “Hardik 23 varsh no chhokro chhe, atyare maja nahin kare to kyare karshe? (He is a 23-year-old boy. If he doesn’t have fun now, when will he?)”
The Pied Piper of Patidars
On Amit Shah’s home turf in Gujarat’s Mansa, as the sun sets on Saturday, a few dozen volunteers are arranging chairs in front of a giant hoarding of Hardik Patel.
From a distance they all look the same. On their heads they have an Arvind Kejriwal-esque topi that proudly proclaims, Hoon chhu Patidar (I am Patidar. A blue scarf with Hardik’s image printed on it dangles around their necks. On their identical white T-shirts, they have an even bigger image of Hardik on the chest.
And they wear their loyalty on the sleeve. “We will do what Hardik tells us. Every Patidar is with him,” they chant in unison, waving their blue flags, as TV cameras waiting for the young leader pan on their eager, excited faces. “We are declaring war on the BJP on Amit Shah’s home turf. Under Hardik’s leadership, we will drive the BJP out of Gujarat,” they claim.
Hardik’s popularity is an enigma, perhaps an embodiment of the maxim that greatness is thrust upon some people. For he just doesn’t fit the image of the gamechanger of this election. If you were to spot him in a bazaar, or a social gathering, you would be forgiven for ignoring him as any other Gujarati youngster who loves to fiddle with his mobile. Not an inch of his middling frame matches the aura built around him.
Read full article hereVisuals from Sunday night’s violent clashes between PAAS and Congress workers
Hardik Patel has a demigod-like following
Patidar leader Hardik Patel has an interesting way of praying in public. At his rallies, his speech is always preceded by a bhajan praising Maa Durga. When the singing starts, Patel switches on the flashlight of his phone to use it like a traditional diya or an agarbatti. Then, as the singing reaches a crescendo, Hardik, who always sits in the middle of the front row of the stage, starts swaying, as if in a trance.
Since gods have to be propitiated with the lighting of mobile flashlights in Hardik’s rule book, his followers are expected to do the same for their hero. So, every time he arrives on the stage, speakers on the stage exhort the gathering to point their mobile phones upwards and switch on the flashlights. Then, to the rhythm of a Gujarati song whose refrain is, what else, ‘‘Hardik, Hardik," the followers sway deliriously in their seats.
You guessed it right. The 23-year-old Patidar leader has indeed become larger than life. Till he arrives, people waiting for him remain restless. They become wild with excitement when he appears on the stage, breaking into a thunderous applause that sounds like the clattering of clouds. And when he speaks, they listen in pious attention, following his cues and commands like an audience hypnotised by a trickster. Hardik, if politics were magic, could have been Houdini.
Read full article hereThe importance of Hardik Patel in Gujarat
Caste politics, like in every other state, play an important role in Gujarat too. And with elections for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly less than a month away all parties are desperate to get the caste equation right.
The Patel community, which used to be a staunch supporter of the BJP, is up in arms against the state government over its demand for reservations. The main demand of PAAS has been inclusion of the caste in the OBC list. OBCs have been given 27 percent reservation in Gujarat.
The BJP has rejected the demand that Patels be included in the OBC list and has tried to pacify the community by offering reservation for the economically backward among the upper castes.
This has come as a golden opportunity for the Congress, which is looking to join hands with Patel to win over the Patidar community. Patel had earlier set a condition that he would support the Congress only if the party committed itself to allotting his community reservations in education and government jobs.
There is a risk, of course, that if the agreement with Congress does not work out, Patel will be left alone in an election in which he urgently needs allies.
Read more hereAshok Gehlot urges Hardik Patel to be patient; asks Vijay Rupani to worry about BJP
Speaking to the media, senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot asked PAAS leader Hardik Patel to not resort to violence. “Hardik Patel and his workers should show patience. Issues can be sorted out by talking. Also,Gujarat chief minister should worry about the fights over ticket distribution in his party and not comment on us,” said Gehlot.
Ashok Gehlot codemns PAAS-Congress violence
Visuals of PAAS members clashing with Congress workers in Surat
Hardik Patel-led PAAS had earlier reached a consensus with Congress over Patidar reservation
Gujarat Congress and Hardik Patel led-Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) on Sunday said that they have reached an agreement over the issue of granting reservation to Patels, if the Congress is voted to power in the state Assembly election.
The official announcement about the nitty-gritty of the reservation formula and the PAAS’ stand on supporting the Congress during the Gujarat polls will be announced by Hardik Patel at a public gathering in Rajkot on Monday, PAAS convener Dinesh Bambhania said after the crucial meeting on the issue.
“I can say that we are in agreement with the Congress about their formula of granting reservation. We have not talked anything about giving tickets to PAAS. Hardik would announce tomorrow whether PAAS would support the Congress during the polls or not,” said Bambhania, a key aide of Hardik Patel.
Read more herePAAS leader Dinesh Patel says ‘will oppose Congress if concerns aren’t addressed’
PAAS members protest against Congress over inadequate representation
After Congress released list of 77 candidates was released, PAAS members expressed anger and started protesting in many parts of the state, claiming they were not given proper representation.
Two PAAS members were given tickets in the released list, while the Hardik Patel-led organisation had demanded 20 seats. Around 20 other Patel candidates, who are not members of the PAAS, also find mention in the list.
In Surat, PAAS members ghearoed the city unit office late in the night and indulged in sloganeering against the Congress.
“Our community members have not been given proper representation in the list that has been declared. We will not allow any Congress office to function in the state,” Surat city PAAS convenor Dharmik Malaviya told reporters.
In Ahmedabad, PAAS convenor Dinesh Bhambania, with his supporters reached the house of state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki to represent their case.
“We will organise protest in front of every office of the Congress across the state. Bharatsinh Solanki should talk to us,” he said. However, Solanki was not present at his Ahmedabad residence.
Read more hereMeanwhile NCP snaps ties with Congress in Gujarat, says Praful Patel
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani hits out at PAAS, Congress
PAAS leaders unhappy with Congress over seat-sharing formula
PAAS leaders said they were unhappy with the two seats they were given by the Congress in the first list announced on Sunday night. They were demanding at least 20 seats, but Congress chose to field sitting MLAs in all constituencies.
Congress, PAAS say dispute amicably resolved
The Congress and the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) say they have reached an agreement following the former’s assurances about reservations in jobs and education. They are likely to announce a tie-up for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections on Monday.