While Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leaders have been striving to strike a deal with the Congress ahead of Gujarat Assembly elections by issuing it a 24-hour deadline to declare its stand on the reservation status for the community, the group on Saturday suffered a blow with two of its former members and group conveners joining the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the State.
Amrish and Ketan Patel, former aides of PAAS leader Hardik Patel, joined the saffron party. They joined the BJP along with his supporters at the BJP party headquarters at 'Shree Kamalam'.
Amrish Patel, who had played an important role in the Patel agitation in PAAS during the quota stir in 2015, had also been charged along with Hardik for sedition. He joined the BJP along with his supporters at the BJP party headquarters at 'Shree Kamalam'.
A fact that had raised eyebrows then was that despite being charged for sedition, Amrish had not been arrested.
Ketan Patel joined the saffron party on Saturday morning. He too had played a significant role in the Patel agitation during its initial phase. But he had later turned a state witness against the agitation for the Government.
As the Congress leaders are under pressure and busy over selection of candidates for the Gujarat Assembly elections, there seems to be trouble
brewing as the PAAS conveners, who had been called to New Delhi for talks with senior leaders, are reportedly unhappy.
The PAAS leaders had flown to New Delhi on Friday to hold talks with Congress leaders regarding their demand of granting reservation status to the Patidar community. However, it was unclear whether the deadlock was over the reservation issue or over PAAS' demand for seats.
Dinesh Bamania, convener of PAAS, claimed that Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki initially had a brief meeting with them and told them that there would be a detailed meeting again after the Congress Central Election Committee's meeting got over.
“However, even after the CEC meeting got over, they have not met us and Solanki is not picking up our calls. This is an insult to us,” he said.
Bamania, after speaking to PAAS leader Hardik Patel, has reportedly given an ultimatum to the Congress to declare its stand on the reservation status within 24 hours or else face opposition.
A fact that had raised eyebrows then was that despite being charged for sedition, Amrish had not been arrested.
On Friday, a former aide of Hardik, Chirag Patel, a PAAS convener, too joined the saffron party.
Late last month, Hardik's friend and PAAS convener Varun Patel moved to the BJP camp, while Reshma Patel, the female face of the PAAS group, joined the BJP in the presence of BJP national president Amit Shah.
The agitation for reservation in the State has proved to be a boon for the Patel agitators with political aspirations.