Patel, who for quite some time now, has been complaining of being ignored within the Congress, praised the BJP over the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
Gandhinagar: Ahead of the Gujarat Assembly election, prominent Patidar leader Hardik Patel has once again stoked speculations after he praised the BJP in an interview to a newspaper. Although he denied holding any talks with the BJP, Patel said “some things that are good about the BJP and we must acknowledge that”. Patel, who for quite some time now, has been complaining of being ignored within the Congress, praised the BJP over the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The leader also said he is a “proud” Hindu.
He told the newspaper, “The BJP has a leadership with terrific decision-taking ability. I am not saying this because I am upset with the Congress. They (BJP) make regular changes in the role chart. Like a phone gets updated, in the same manner, the BJP also brings new updates. This has been going on for years now, even people are saying that the Congress is losing and the BJP is winning because of it.”
He added, “I hail from the Raghuvanshi clan and I am from the Luv-Kush lineage and I believe in Ram, Shiv and Kuldevi. It is obvious that I am a Hindu and I make all attempts to follow its rituals. On April 28, on the death anniversary of my father, I am going to distribute 4,000 copies of the Gita. I am proud to be a Hindu.”
However, later, talking to a television channel, Patel said he is not quitting the Congress. “Why should I sever ties? There is no such discussion. We speak the truth. In our families also when we speak to our parents, we tell the truth. I am only speaking the truth so that the people accept the party,” he reportedly told the channel when asked whether he wanted to quit the Congress.
He also said, ““I am very clear on my stance that I will be do what I can to take Gujarat forward. Many people link me with (Arvind) Kejriwal. The Congress, AAP, BJP…I have all options open.”
The prominent Patidar leader, who had led the quota battle of the community in 2015, had joined Congress ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, however, it did not transpire into votes for the Grand Old Party. The Patidar community did not vote for Congress although it had faired well in the assembly election two years back in 2017.
