Amid Sonia’s ‘atmachintan’ call, Hardik Patel absent at Congress camp

AHMEDABAD:  Hardik Patel continues to sulk even as Congress’ Chintan Shivir’ began in Udaipur on Friday.

The Gujarat Patidar leader and the party’s Gujarat working president refused to join the high-profile conclave where Sonia Gandhi made a fervent appeal to party leaders to first do ‘atmachintan’ (self-analysis). 

A source close to Hardik sought to explain away his no-show at Udaipur by citing a meeting due between “old leaders of the Patidar agitation movement and Hardik Patel” in the next couple of days.

Naresh Patel, another community leader in demand, was also supposed to attend the meeting. Hardik is likely to announce a “big decision” after the meeting, the source said. 

Hardik was among 18 leaders from Gujarat invited to the Udaipur ‘Chintan Shivir.’

At his May 10 Dahod tribal rally, Rahul Gandhi had a brief conversation with Hardik, which prompted the maverick leader to show his milder side.

“Everything is expected to be fine after the Chintan Shivir,” Hardik told the media on Thursday. 

“Everyone invited by the party has left for Udaipur. I do not know whether Hardik Patel was an invitee,” said Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi.