Gandhinagar: After sending a ‘welcome tweet’ to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, PAAS convener Hardik Patel today indicated that his outfit might ‘boycott’ the meeting organized by the state government here tomorrow on the issues pertaining to Patidar community.

Hardik, who had earlier claimed that his outfit would participate in the meeting, in an apparent change of stance after the meeting of the core committee of PAAS here in which representatives of Sardar Patel Group (SPG) also participated, told newsmen that he wanted the size of the participants to be limited and restrict the participation of political leaders in tomorrow’s meeting.

‘We have learnt that over 200 people including the representative of six religious bodies and BJP state president will participate in the meeting. First of all our meeting is with the government and we have no problem in any minister’s or government official’s participation in it but what was the need of a political leader in it. We have written a letter to DyCM Nitin Patel and explained our stand and also made him known who from our outfit would represent us in case we take part in the meeting. Earlier also we had 10 to 12 such meetings with the government but were not fruitful. In the past during former CM Anandiben’s regime too we had objected to 135 people participating in such meeting. We have asked that 3 each from the six religious bodies its president, vice president and a trustee should participate so that the meeting could take place in a better manner. We may boycott it if political leaders participate in it and our opponents are assembled in it,’ he said.

Hardik said that he has made it clear that PAAS and SPG would discuss earlier four issues only which included- constitutional provision of quota for Patidar community, withdrawal of cases lodged during quota stir and compensation to those died during agitation and jobs to their family members.

Earlier he had said that he has received an invitation for the meeting delivered by hand at his residence earlier.

He had said that CM Vijay Rupnai and other ministers including the in-charges of Education and Agriculture departments should also participate in the meeting for it to be a more meaningful one.

‘I have got an invitation which was xerox copy of the original one and seemed more like an invitation just for the formality of it. However, we will participated in it and in a meeting of our core committee today decide the names of the members who would represent us in the meeting,’ Hardik had said.

‘We are in favour of a meeting to find resolution to the issues but don’t want meeting just for another round of sitting. We already have around 50 such meetings in the past but with no concrete result. We know that DyCM Nitin Patel has not been given enough authority either by the government or the party (BJP) to reach a solution with regard to the issues of Patidar community. CM Rupani and other ministers including education and agriculture ministers must also participate in it,’ he had said.

Meanwhile about his tweet welcoming Rahul who arrived on a three day visit of Saurashtra as part of Navsarjan Gujarat Yatra of Congress, Hardik said that it should not be attached to politics as he had welcomed Rahul only as a guest as per Indian tradition.

He also said that he never said that he want to see Congress victorious but he want BJP to be ousted from power. ‘This time around the election will not be a BJP vs Cong affair but it would be BJP vs the 6 crore people of Gujarat,’ he said.

DeshGujarat