Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who is on tour in Gujarat, met Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel today. Congress had invited Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani to meet party vice-president.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who is on tour in Gujarat, met Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel today, says report. Congress had invited Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani to meet party vice-president. Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to hold a rally in Gujarat capital Gandhinagar later in day. The Congress Vice President’s visit comes in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s day-long visit to the poll-bound state yesterday. Gandhi arrived in Ahmedabad this afternoon. The Congress vice president will take part in OBC ‘Navsarjan Janadesh Mahasammelan’. Meanwhile, Gandhi took a jibe at BJP, saying Gujarat is priceless and can never be bought. The Congress vice president said this a day after Patidar leader Narendra Patel claimed in Ahmedabad that he was offered Rs 1 crore to join the BJP. Congress today said Election Commission should soon announce election dates for Gujarat and bring a model code of conduct into effect. PM Modi yesterday launched a scathing attack on Congress. While the EC has not announced any poll dates so far, the Chief Election Commissioner had said that election will be held in December.
An activist of the Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) had claimed the BJP offered him Rs 1 crore to switch loyalties, a charge rubbished by Gujarat’s ruling party. In a dramatic turn of events, North Gujarat PAAS convener Narendra Patel announced in the presence of state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani that he was joining the party. Reacting to the allegations, the BJP claimed it was a “drama” staged at the behest of the Congress. “All these allegations are false. It was a drama (enacted) by Narendra Patel at the behest of Congress. He voluntarily came to us to join the BJP and then took a U-turn within hours. It proves that everything was pre-planned,” Gujarat BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said.
Watch this video
#BREAKING — Congress VP Rahul Gandhi meets Patidar leader Hardik Patel in a hotel in Ahmedabad | @MeghdootS with more details pic.twitter.com/DjjGgYpQhq
— News18 (@CNNnews18) October 23, 2017
On October 21, in a dramatic turn of events in poll-bound Gujarat, quota spearhead Hardik Patel’s key aides – Varun Patel and Reshma Patel – had joined the ruling BJP. The development came hours after state Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki invited Hardik Patel to join hands with the party. Solanki even promised to give an additional 20 percent reservation to economically backward classes in the state if the Congress is voted to power in the upcoming assembly polls.
