Hardik Patel key aide Varun, Ravi, Mahesh, Reshma Patel join BJP

Gandhinagar:

In a major surprise jolt to PAAS leader Hardik Patel and a boost to BJP, around 40 members of the outfit including its spokesperson Varun Patel, woman leader Reshma Patel, Mahesh Patel(Vastral) and Ravi Patel(Sabarkantha) today suddenly joined the ruling party.

BJP state president Jeetu Vaghani put the party scarf (khes) on their soldiers for formally welcoming them in the party. Dy CM Nitin Patel was also present on the occasion.

Earlier talking to newsmen in a joint press conference they said that they have taken this decision as the Congress party was trying to use the Patidar agitation as an election tool and the community as a vote bank to somehow get back to the power in Gujarat where it has ‘misruled’ for long. They have also taken the decision as the BJP has honestly taken decisions about the commission and corporation for the non-reserved category, compensation to the families of those killed in the agitation and withdrawing cases against those involved in agitation along with probe panel for police atrocities during agitation..

Reshma on the occasion also attacked Hardik Patel as an agent of Congress. She also said that the Patidar agitation was not Hardik’s but of the community.

‘Today after the announcement of Congress inviting Hardik, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mewani.to join it, we became aware that the party has nothing to do with the welfare of Patidar community and it was only interested in somehow grabbing the power using us as a tool. We don’t want to act as its agent. We had a meeting with CM Rupani, DyCM Patel and BJP state president Vaghani and discussed our demands and the three fulfilled by it. We became assured that BJP government was for Patidars,’ she added.

She also said that Congress never replied to their queries about issues pertaining to Patidar agitation and giving OBC status to Patidars was not possible legally and had it been so the Congress too could have made its stand clear about it. Varun however said that the BJP has given them assurance about taking up the reservation issue through the commission.

Varun, a long-time aide of Hardik also said that he did not want Congress to use the Patidar community as vote bank and would appeal the community to beware of it.

They both said that they would keep working as party worker now onward.

Later Nitin Patel said that Congress was being exposed as the election in Gujarat was approaching. ‘Congress which could not get the power in Gujarat in last 22 years owing to public’s abhorrence for it because of its corruption, dynastic rule, caste based politics and pro-terrorist stand was for the last one or two years trying to misuse the youths of Patidar community to somehow get back to the power. I am happy that the shrewdness of Congress has been exposed. Me and other leaders had warned the Patidar community about it,’ he said.

DeshGujarat