Quota stir: Hardik Patel likely to meet Gujarat CM today

Ahmedabad: Leader of the quota agitation Hardik Patel is likely to meet Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Monday.

He had postponed his 'reverse Dandi March', scheduled for Sunday, to September 15, saying that he had been invited by a Cabinet minister for a meeting with the state CM on the issue.

Earlier, on September 5, he had postponed his reverse Dandi March - from Dandi village in Navsari district to Ahmedabad - till Sunday.

Hardik, who has been spearheading the agitation to get reservation for the Patel community under OBC quota, has said that if their issues are not resolved, then the march will take place on September 15.

"The 'Reverse Dandi Yatra', which was supposed to be held today, has now been postponed after senior Cabinet Minister Saurabh Patel called up late last night and invited us for a meeting with the Chief Minister," the 22-year-old Patel community leader had said yesterday who heads the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), as per PTI.

"With the approval of the Chief Minister, he (Saurabh Patel) assured us to fix a meeting with her tomorrow, and our issues will be resolved by then. If they do not bring out a solution to our issues, then they will give us a legal nod to take out our march," he had added.

“The police atrocities during violence for quota demand last month is the main issue now. The state government must discuss and take stern action in cases of police atrocities and a decision should be taken during that meeting (with CM) only, he had further said.

Hardik has also demanded the release of all the Patel community youths put behind bars in the cases of violence, while claiming that, "they all were innocent".

(With PTI inputs)