Hardik Patel resignation letter to Congress President suggests that the Patidar leader may join forces with the BJP.
Hardik Patel, an influential Patidar leader, resigned from the Congress’ primary membership on May 18, just days after publicly expressing his dissatisfaction with the party’s leadership. Hardik Patel, 28, was the Congress’s working president in Gujarat.
His resignation comes despite the fact that the Congress plans to offer 50% of organizational positions to leaders under the age of 50. Hardik is the fifth leader under the age of 50 to leave the party in the last two years.
Since 2020, the party has lost Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada, Ashok Tanwar, and Sushmita Dev. All of whom were under 50 at the time of their resignation.
In a letter to Congress president, Hardik stated, “The Congress became an obstacle on several issues on which the country was demanding a solution. Whether it is the Shri Ram temple, Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens, Article 370 or GST the Congress was an obstacle.
The party’s stand was limited to opposing the Union government. People in almost every state rejected the Congress because the party could not even present its roadmap for the people.”
In an apparent dig at Rahul Gandhi, Hardik said, “Whenever we met, the top leader was more interested in using mobile phone rather than listening to matters pertaining to the people and the party. Whenever the country was in trouble and the party needed him, he was in a foreign country. He treated Gujarat in a manner where one can sense that he hates Gujaratis,” the letter stated.
Hardik also launched an attack on Gujarat Congress leaders. “The Gujarat leaders were also keen on ensuring that the top leader received his chicken sandwich on time rather than mingling with the state’s youth.” The Congress has betrayed the youth’s trust. That is why young people are unwilling to associate with the Congress,” Hardik stated in his letter.
Hardik Patel: Rise from Patidar Movement:
Hardik, a 22-year-old Patidar youth from Gujarat, mobilized the community in 2015 to demand reservation for the community in government jobs and higher education institutions. The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), led by Hardik, led the violent agitation, which resulted in a political setback for the ruling BJP.
The BJP came to 99 seats in the 2017 assembly election, down from 117 in the previous state election (2012). In the run-up to the Lok Sabha election in March 2019, Hardik joined the Congress and was immediately appointed working president for Gujarat. The move was expected to aid the Congress’s appeal among the state’s youth and Patidar’s.
Hardik, on one hand, was unable to relax in the grand old party. His desire to lead the state party was obvious. The Congress, on the other hand, elected Jagdish Thakor, a party veteran, as state president in December 2021.
His request that the Congress project him as the party’s chief ministerial face in the upcoming Gujarat election was also denied. Rahul Gandhi reportedly sidelined Hardik at a party function in Dahod on May 12, indicating that the Congress was unwilling to give him the prominence he desired.
Hardik’s influence is decreasing even among Patidar’s, according to sources close to the Congress brass, and he is no longer taken seriously by many. He was also said to be more concerned in being the party’s face than in working to develop the organization.
Yet to announce Next Move:
Hardik is yet to make an announcement about his next step. His letter’s language suggests that he is considering joining forces with the BJP. Another possibility is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is looking for a popular face in Gujarat.
The Bhupendra Patel-led BJP government has taken steps to dismiss cases filed against Hardik in 2015 during the Patidar quota movement. Hardik also got a respite in the 2015 sedition case against him, as the Supreme Court ordered a hold on all sedition charges earlier this month.
Stage appears to be prepared for Hardik to join or form a coalition with the BJP. Things will become obvious in the coming days.
Read More – Ahead of Assembly Elections, Hardik Quits Congress
