Ahmedabad: Chameleons of top order in public life of Gujarat, Hardik Patel who is struggling to stay relevant and facing great image/trust crisis, is back on Congress duty exactly one year ahead of Lok Sabha general elections.

Hardik Patel, infamous for his sex and liquor CDs, mid-night Taj hotel suitcase deal with Rahul Gandhi and Ashok Gehlot, video of cash collection from Surat businessman through his cousin brother, alleged ‘Rs 20 crore’ wedding of his sister which he has not denied but defended, sudden jump from agriculture pump repair shop in Viramgam to rich Amdavadi lifestyle in three years, deaths of dozen youths and violence in August 2015 across Gujarat and more is struggling to remain relevant and correct his image.

In last March, Hardik was seen holding meetings at various places for Jan Jagruti Yatra. He had declared that he would hold 18-day Jan Jagruti Yatra across 26 districts in the month of May. However, due to poor response and lack of support, it seems he had dropped the idea of holding yatra. He is now holding so called Patidar Mahapanchayat at Malvan.

Knowing very well that BJP would deny his invitation to join Mahapanchayat event, Hardik pretending to be politically neutral, invited BJP and Congress MLAs of Patidar community to Mahapanchayat. Congress MLA and Hardik’s old guard, Lalit Vasoya is among those around dozen Congress MLAs who are attending Hardik’s Mahapanchayat event at Malvan.

Lot of people from Hardik’s own community are now raising questions against Hardik’s attempt to use community’s name for dirty political games. The community is no more ready to become political tool again and not putting trust in Hardik. While Congress and curiosity would continue to be factors pulling public to such events, last year’s experience shows, that has not helped Congress enough to come to power in Gujarat. It has to be seen, how much this community/caste agenda helps Congress in Lok Sabha polls.

PAAS leader and former close-aide of Hardik Patel, Dinesh Bambhania has fired a letter bomb against him terming his so called Patidar Nyay Mahapanchyat in Moti Malwan village of Surendranagar district as an attempt of personal publicity.

Bambhania in his letter has alleged that Hardik, who openly supported Congress in the last assembly elections of Gujarat despite no stand of the party about the OBC quota demand of Patidar community, has not even invited the family members of martyrs (those killed) of Patidar quota agitation.

Speaking to media persons about his open letter, Bambhania today said that Hardik was only concerned about his own publicity.

‘If he is holding an event for the issues of Patidar community why was it that he did not even bother to invited various community leaders and even the president of Sardar Patel Group which was the first organization to raise quota issue for Patidars,’ he said.

Bambhania claimed that Hardik was egoist and was only concerned about his own publicity. He has nothing to do with the welfare of the patidar community.

DeshGujarat