According to a top Congress source, Patidar leader Hardik Patel is all set to join the Grand Old party soon and is likely to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from the Jamnagar constituency in Gujarat. Till recently, Hardik had declined any such speculation, but the dying Patidar movement has forced him to consider other options available to him.
“Patel, who led the agitation demanding reservation for the Patidar community in Gujarat, is likely to join the Congress on March 12 in the presence of party Chief Rahul Gandhi,” the sources said. A Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting is also scheduled in Ahmedabad on March 12, where Hardik may joins the hand with Congress party.
The speculation of Hardik joining the Congress is in the political corridors as the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota was announced by the Modi government and has made leaders like Hardik Patel irrelevant. Moreover, in order to stay politically relevant (somehow), the activist turned politician joined the mainstream politics. And everyone knows that which party is the last resort of these aimless and agenda less politicians.
Earlier, the two important organisation Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and Sardar Patel Group (SPG), fighting for the rights of Patels in Gujarat, decided that Hardik Patel is no longer be the face of Patel agitations. Leaders of PAAS and SPG held a combined meeting in Surat in September last year and decided important matters related to the protests which they were planning for the future. The meeting took various decisions and after negotiations it was also decided that Hardik Patel will not be allowed to remain as the face of the Patel movement.
Hardik Patel had used the prominence he gained from the Patidar movement to suit his own personal needs. From a student leader who won the post of general secretary in Sahajanand College unopposed to first talking about joining hands with Shiv Sena and then finally backing Congress in the state elections of Gujarat, Hardik has come a long way. His whole image and credibility just depended on one thing the Patel movement which he had used to get political mileage. The decision of PAAS and SPG has been taken after considering the jumpstart which Hardik Patel had received and to stop it from happening ever again in the future.
Not only that, Hardik’s political inclination affected the patidar agitation badly, as a large chunk of the community started believing that patidars have a political agenda. Another noteworthy fact is that Hardik started to behave like a leader not a part of the agitation. Hardik’s falling popularity and his failed show at the indefinite fast programme held in Ahmedabad forced him to stand by the Congress party. The Congress party is focusing on Gujarat and trying to defeat him in his home state. However they seem to forget that Hardik Patel is a overrated politician.
