Ahmedabad: While common public including Patidar community people stayed away from joining Hardik Patel’s ‘indefinite’ fast at his residence here on the second day, variety of visitors kept his fast in news today.

Hardik’s sister arrived at his grand bungalow to tie him Rakhi. She told media persons that she was upset as she couldn’t offer her brother a sweet on Rakshabandhan as he was on fast.

Former railway minister and Mamta Banerjee led All India Trinamool Congress(TMC) leader Dinesh Trivedi, representatives of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) of Bihar leader Jitan Ram Manjhi called on Hardik Patel to extend support. Trivedi tied Rakhi to Hardik’s hand on behalf of Mamta Banerjee.

A medical team from nearby Sola civil hospital also visited Hardik Patel and checked his blood pressure and sugar. The doctor said Hardik’s blood pressure was normal but looking at his weight it was on bit lower side.

Contrary to claims by PAAS earlier, very few women turned up to tie Rakhi to Hardik on Raksha Bandhan.

Police had detained 258 persons including Congress leaders and cadres yesterday from across Gujarat to prevent them going on fast without permission in support of Hardik. Some of them were to join Hardik at his fast venue. All were later released.

Contrary to August 2015 when over three lakh Patidars had gathered at GMDC ground in Ahmedabad to support Hardik’s agitation for quota for Patels in jobs and education, at present, hardly 50 odd people are sitting with Hardik at his lavish, farm-house like huge bungalow at Greenwoods Resort off SG Highway.

The government has arranged bandobast outside the Resort gate and connecting roads. Identity and vehicle number of people visiting Hardik are noted down in many cases.

Number of factors are considered responsible for poor or absolutely no-response to Hardik’s latest attempt to regain support. They include – Hardik’s clear alignment to Congress through two elections and beyond that, his self-centered touch to the movement, general impression that this is political movement ahead of Lok Sabha polls in favor of Congress, video clips of wine, women, video clip of his brother Ravi Patel receiving cash, viral reports on ‘Rs 20 crore wedding’ of his sister , fleet of SUVs and a huge farm-house like bungalow off SG highway in Ahmedabad in which he stays, startling revelations by his former aides, lack of original team that was supporting him, lack of financiers who were earlier financing the movement but later felt cheated by Hardik, lack of success in bringing Congress to power in assembly polls, total defeat in assembly polls last year in Surat, lack of support by supreme religious and social bodies and organizations of Patidar community, left leaning, anti-RSS stand at many occasions, company of anarchists including Jignesh Mevani, history of violence linked to his agitation, questions regarding possibilities of fulfillment of his demands, duplicity and hypocrisy in display at number of occasions.

DeshGujarat