Hardik Patel (File/ANI)
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India]: Gujarat Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who recently quit Congress, is all set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday (June 2) and said he would work as a “small soldier” to serve the nation under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“With the feelings of national interest, state interest, public interest and social interest, I am going to start a new chapter from today. I will work as a small soldier in the noble work of service to the nation under the leadership of the successful Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi,” Patel tweeted.
Posters welcoming Hardik Patel to the Bharatiya Janata Party were put outside the party office in Gandhinagar ahead of the former Congress leader’s induction into the BJP.
Patel, who last month quit Congress after “feeling ignored” by the party high command, is all set to join the BJP today. Before joining the party, he performed ‘pooja’ at his residence in Ahmedabad.
Initially, Patel demanded the OBC status for the Patidar community. Subsequently, it was transformed into a demand for reservations for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS).
Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Patel joined Congress in the presence of Rahul Gandhi. He was then appointed as the working president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee in Gujarat in 2020. However, he accused Congress leadership of sidelining him while making important decisions and eventually quit the party in 2022.
On May 19 this year, Patel resigned from the party and stated that Gujarat Congress leaders were least bothered to address real issues of the state but were more focussed on ensuring that the leaders who come from Delhi to Gujarat get “chicken sandwich” on time.
He had also alleged that Gujarat Congress leaders tried to disrupt his political effort “sitting in the AC chambers”.
Hardik’s induction into the BJP is significant as Assembly elections are due this year. (ANI)
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