Hardik Patel: ‘Opportunist, dishonest’ Hardik Patel contacted the BJP

As Hardik Patel left the Congress, party leaders in Gujarat on Wednesday launched an attack on him, branding him “dishonest” and “opportunistic” and accusing him of having links with the ruling BJP for the past six years. Be sure to withdraw the case filed against him during the Patidar quota movement.

Patel, who joined the Congress three years ago, resigned from the party on Wednesday, accusing its top leadership of behaving as if they hated Gujarat and Gujaratis. In his resignation letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, which comes ahead of this year’s state assembly elections, Patel, 26, said he was resigning as acting president of the Gujarat Congress and an early member of the party.

Targeting him over the move, Gujarat senior Congress leader and party national spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil accused Patel of betraying his husband’s community for personal gain, while state Congress in-charge Raghu Sharma accused him of being involved in “back door transactions” with other parties. He also claimed that he lacked discipline.

Speaking to reporters, Sharma said, “Hardik was involved in the politics of dishonesty and deception. He was made a star campaigner by the Congress during the Assembly elections in five states. He was critical of the BJP in his speeches. What has suddenly changed? He was in touch. Wants to withdraw the case against him. ”

Although Patel was made the acting president of the Gujarat Congress, he wanted complete control of the entire state party unit, Sharma alleged.

“Hardik was upset because there was news that Patidar leader Naresh Patel was joining the Congress. Hardik thought that Naresh Patel would take his place. I noticed that Hardik lacked the discipline to be in any political system. Can’t stay, ”Sharma said.

“For some time now, he has been trying to put pressure on the party. He wanted us not to include Naresh Patel in the party and not just listen to him. He once tried to stay close to Rahul Gandhi to gain political ground. Now, he is criticizing the leadership. It shows that he is an opportunist, “he added.

Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Gohil said, “When a lower court rejected the Gujarat government’s plea to withdraw the riot case against Hardik, the state government approached the high court, proving that Hardik had approached the BJP to withdraw the case against him.”

Hardik was involved in some covert dealings with the BJP, Gohil said, and predicted that Hardik would join the BJP in the near future.

“When you started the Patidar quota movement, you made a number of demands for the community. How many demands did the government meet? So what kind of personal gain are you betraying your community and going there (BJP),” he asked. Member of Rajya Sabha of Gujarat.

Gohil further said that what Patel had written in his letter to Sonia Gandhi was directed by the BJP.

In his letter to the Congress president, Patel alleged that the Congress and its leadership, both at the central and state levels, had been reduced to mere opposition to everything. “Whether it is the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the repeal of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, the imposition of GST, India has long wanted a solution to these problems and the Congress has only acted as a roadblock,” he said.

Patel gained prominence in 2015 after leading a movement demanding conservation for the Patidar community in the state. After joining the party a few years ago, Patel was made the acting president of the Gujarat Congress in July 2020.