1,000-km trip, 3 pilgrimages, meets on Hardik’s itinerary before exile

AHMEDABAD: Patidar leader Hardik Patel may get just 48 hours in Gujarat before his six-month exile begins but he plans to spend the time travelling the length and breadth of the state in a likely attempt to re-energise the flagging Patidar OBC quota movement.

The Gujarat high court on Monday directed that Patel be released on bail on July 15, provided he stays out of the state for six months. However, he will get a two-day window before his exile begins to interact with supporters in the state.

The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) has chalked out plans to receive Patel upon his release from Rajpore Central Jail in a grand way. “Thousands of four-wheelers from places across Gujarat will reach Surat by 11 am on Friday to felicitate Hardik at the jail gate,” said PAAS secretary Dilip Patel.

Barring a couple of hours at his Viramgam home, Patel will spend most of his time on the road — meeting thousands of people as he covers a nearly 1,000-km stretch of Patidar-dominated areas, from Surat in South Gujarat and Morbi in Saurashtra to Ahmedabad and Viramgam in Central Gujarat. Besides addressing group meetings and flagging off bike rallies, Patel will offer prayers at three pilgrimage sites.

Workers from Surat, who form the base and strength of the agitation, will take out a rally with Patel in an open vehicle — passing through the main parts of the city before culminating at the Patidar pocket in Varacha. Here, Patel is expected to address a public meeting. The next day, he will meet PAAS leaders and visit the Hanuman temple in Sarangpur, Maa Khodal temple in Kagvad and Maa Umiya temple in Sidsar. He will leave Gujarat on July 17.

The firebrand leader, who turns 23 on July 20, is accused in nine cases, including two for sedition and rioting. As many as nine people died and property worth `44 crore was destroyed when the Patidar movement turned violent last year.