Joining BJP an option, AAP's strategy better than Congress: Patel
Former Congress leader Hardik Patel on Tuesday said that joining the Gujarat's ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) barely months before the assembly elections, is still a possibility. Patel, who raged at the Congress's top leadership when he quit the party less than a week ago, said, "Why shouldn't it be?"
Why does this story matter?
Right before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Patidar activist-turned-politician had joined the Congress. He was made the working president of the Gujarat Congress, a post, he alleged had little meaning in the party. He had been disgruntled over the past few weeks with the state leadership sidelining him and making him feel like a "groom forced into nasbandi (vasectomy)."
What did he exactly say?
"Why it shouldn't be...When the elections come, you will see me in an important role," Patel said when asked if the BJP is an option. However, he remained tight-lipped when asked about which party he will join, saying, "When it is decided, you will know." Patel stated that he currently has no plans and will make a decision after conferring with friends and well-wishers.
Cases filed against youth during Patidar agitation be removed: Patel
Patel further stated that if he joins the BJP, it would not be on the condition that cases filed against him during the 2015 Patidar movement be dropped. "Not me but against the youth of the community. They did not come out for themselves. Why should they be harassed?" he said. Patel had earlier played down talks of joining the BJP after quitting Congress.
'Doors of Aam Aadmi Party open too'
Patel also seemed to leave the option open of joining the Aam Aadmi Party, which is riding high after clinching Punjab in the last assembly elections. "Their (the AAP's) strategy is definitely better than the Congress's. That's what I was tired of telling the Congress," Patel said while questioning his old party's tactics.
Patel had shared resignation letter on Twitter
Patel resigned from the Congress last week, and said he was sure his decision would be welcomed by his colleagues and the people of Gujarat. "I believe that with this step, I will be able to work really positively for Gujarat in the future," Patel wrote on Twitter and shared his resignation letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
Congress working against interest of country, society: Patel
Despite several attempts to "steer the Congress in the right direction, it has constantly been working against the interests of the country and the society," the 28-year-old leader had said. Congress "has been rejected in virtually every state because they have no roadmap to present to the people". The disgruntled leader further said that the Congress can't be an alternative to lead the state.
Patel's rise and fall
Patel, from north Gujarat's influential vote bank Kadva Patidar community, rose to prominence while leading the Patidar agitation in 2015, demanding benefits of the OBC quota. In the 2017 assembly elections, he had backed the Congress. However, things changed after he joined the party in 2019 with political observers saying that he seemed to have "lost his sheen" and his crowd-pulling ability.
