Gujarat's Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel today urged Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for asking the Centre to accord Schedule Tribe status to the 'Kudumi' community of the state. Patel said he would not hesitate to launch an agitation against the state government in case it does not approach the Centre on the issue. "I will meet Naveen Patnaikji tomorrow and demand the state government's recommendation to the Centre to accord ST status to Kudumi community living in Odisha. "If we can fight against the mighty Narendra Modi (prime minister), there should not be any difficulty to stand against the Naveen Patnaik government," he told reporters here after addressing a rally. He said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already made the recommendation to accord tribal status to Kudumi people living in her state. The estimated population of the community in Odisha is above 25 lakh, which is concentrated in the districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Sambalpur and Jajpur.
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