Nitin dismisses ‘Revolt 2.0’ as baseless, malicious

GANDHINAGAR: Soon after scraping home in the 2017 assembly elections in Gujarat, chief minister Vijay Rupani had to face a mild revolt from his deputy Nitin Patel who was not happy with portfolio distribution. Then, Patel had openly expressed his displeasure on being stripped of key finance and urban development departments and insisted that he would not join the office till his “honour is restored” — which Rupani finally did.
So, when posts on social media went viral recently that Patel has been planning to float a new political front after joining hands with Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel, many took it as ‘Revolt 2.0’. The deputy CM, however, made it clear late on Thursday night that it was just a rumour. “A section of political circle is spreading lies that I am resigning from my party and going to form a new political front. This is incorrect and an attempt to tarnish my image,” Patel tweeted. He also appealed to his supporters and the public to not believe these rumours.

Talking to reporters at his residence in Ahmedabad on Friday, the deputy CM said, “I am a disciplined worker of the BJP. Since very young age, I am associated with the party. The opposition and some groups with vested interest are trying to tarnish my image. They have been spreading lies for the past few days on social media. I request all my supporters and citizens to ignore such rumours.” When asked whether he would take any legal action against those behind these malicious posts, he said, “I don’t want to give importance to such elements.”

On Hardik Patel’s invitation to join the Patidar Panchayat which the PAAS leader has organized on Saturday, he said, “He has done a major damage to the Patidar community and Gujarat for personal benefits. This is only a Congress Panchayat and I don’t want to give importance to such things. Patidar community knows everything.”

At Botad on Friday, when some reporters drew chief minister Vijay Rupani’s attention towards Nitin Patel’s tweet, he said he was not aware of the issue.

Nitin sidelined again: Congress

The opposition Congress party said on Friday that the deputy CM, Nitin Patel, has once again been sidelined by the ruling BJP. Talking to TOI, the state chief of the party, Amit Chavda, said, “On several occasions, Nitinbhai has faced humiliation from his party. This is despite his contributions to the party. On two occasions, he was not allowed to become CM and now, it seems, he is once again being sidelined.

Just ignore it: Vaghani

Reacting to this development, state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani said that some people with vested interest are trying to spread lies about Nitin Patel and BJP on social media. “Nitinbhai is our senior leader and as the deputy CM, he is constantly serving the people. We condemn such attempts and request our workers and the citizens to ignore such rumours,” he tweeted.

Come join us: Hardik to Patel

Speaking to reporters after a rally at Mahuva in Bhavnagar district, Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel invited deputy chief minister Nitin Patel to join his movement for the sake of the Patidar community. “I am saying this in public, if Nitinbhai is ready to come with us, we will welcome him. It doesn’t matter whether he belongs to the BJP or any other party. He can speak up for the sake of community,” said Hardik.

The PAAS leader said that the BJP will soon force Nitin Patel to resign from the post of deputy CM. “I have come to know from his (Nitin Patel’s) private personnel that the BJP has been pressurizing him to resign from the post of deputy CM. BJP will remove him shortly,” said Hardik. “Nitinbhai always vents out his frustration on me, but I invite him to come along with me, I will ensure that he gets the ministry,” he added.