Gujarat elections: ‘BJP focusing only on terrorism, Hindu-Muslim & cow slaughter’ says Hardik Patel

Gujarat: Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Monday lashed out at Bharatiya Janta Party and said, the party has only three motives, namely terrorism, Hindu-Muslim and Cow slaughter. The statement comes after members of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti met Gujarat Congress leaders to decide on the reservation issue, but no agreement could be reached on the assurance about quotas for the Patels, a precondition set by PAAS leader Hardik Patel for extending support to the party in the Assembly polls. After the meeting at the Congress's state headquarters which lasted three hours, PAAS leaders said they will hold another round of discussion by November 7 to resolve the issue. Hardik Patel, who skipped the meeting, said the next round of negotiations will be the final. "If we have been fighting for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for two-and-a-half years, then waiting for a few days is no a big deal. But the next meeting on the issue will be the last and final," he told reporters. Hardik Patel had last Saturday threatened to disrupt Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's proposed rally in Surat if the main opposition party in Gujarat did not make clear how it will provide quotas to the Patidar community. However, on Monday he said he will not oppose Rahul Gandhi's rally. Gandhi is scheduled to campaign in poll-bound Gujarat from November 1 to 3. Patel said he will take the final call on meeting Gandhi after consulting the core committee of the PAAS. The ruling BJP, meanwhile, accused Patel and the Congress of misleading the Patidar community with the latter's claim that the opposition party has accepted all the demands of the community. "The main demand of the PAAS and Hardik Patel was reservation under OBC quota. The Congress and PAAS should clarify if the Congress will give reservations under OBC quota to the community," deputy chief minister Nitin Patel said, reacting to Tuesday’s meeting.