New Delhi, Nov 25, 2022: On Friday, patidar community leader Hardik Patel, who is now with the BJP, said his former party Congress has no vision for Gujarat.
“Rahul Gandhi is busy with his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in the South and elsewhere,” he said in an interview with the NDTV.
Contesting his first election after recently joining the ruling BJP after quitting as Gujarat Congress Working President, Hardik Patel expressed that the Congress “never stops anyone from leaving”, and took a swipe at his former party saying that the party “does not need Gujaratis”.
He further contradicted allegations that the fear of being jailed over pending cases, including some from the time of the Patidar quota agitation, had made him switch to BJP.
“I still have 32 cases on me. If you think joining a party will relieve me from that, then that’s not it. Law and courts are independent,” said the 29-year-old, who did not participate in previous elections as he did not fulfil the minimum-age criterion of 25.
The leader has also expressed confidence that he’ll win Viramgram in the election next month, a segment which has had a Congress MLA for a decade now.
Hardik Patel said he’s relying on local anti-incumbency and “the people’s increasing trust in PM Narendra Modi and the BJP”.
