Gujarat govt foils Hardik Patel’s bid to revive quota stir
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government has thrown a spanner in the works of Patidar leader Hardik Patel’s attempt to revive his agitation for reservation.
Patel has announced his so-called ‘August Kranti’ (indefinite hunger strike) from August 25 to press for reservation in college admissions, government jobs for the Patidars and loan waiver for farmers.
The government has refused him permission to hold the strike and invoked the Indian Penal Code’s section 144 to prevent assembly of more than 4 people until September 2 in Ahmedabad. Hardik’s attempts to shift the fast venue to a farmhouse have failed with the landlord denying him permission for it.
He is hamstrung also as his key aide, Alpesh Kathiria, was arrested in a two-year-old sedition case on Monday and sent in police custody until August 24.
“The BJP government is leaving no stone unturned to derail my plans. Kathiria was accused in the sedition case along with me and five others. While we were arrested and jailed, he was not. The police arrested him now so that we do not fast,” said Hardik. The Ahmedabad crime branch had on Monday sought Kathiria’s 14-day remand, arguing that he had been absconding and police needed to question him over the financial sources of Hardik’s agitation.
As many as 13 people were killed and public property worth ~44 crore was damaged in clashes between police and Patidar protesters after a rally for the reservation on August 25, 2015. Hardik, 23, became the face of the agitation after a sedition case was filed against him.