People voted for BJP during height of Patidar agitation: Hardik Patel

BJP Viramgam candidate Hardik Patel on Friday exuded confidence in winning the ensuing Assembly election stating that the people of Viramgam would vote for him since it is his "janmbhoomi', karmbhoomi and matrabhoomi."

Speaking to ANI in an exclusive interview, Hardik Patel said, "I've always achieved success by taking the difficult route. Congress may have been on this seat for 10 years, but this is my 'janmbhoomi', 'karmbhoomi' and 'matrabhoomi'. The people would want to accept me."

"The manner in which we have worked for people here in the last five months through social work, they feel that I am young and will work for them. I will work to turn the 10-year-long drought of development into greenery and implement PM Narendra Modi's policies," Patel added.

According to the BJP leader, people in Gujarat don't want to listen to the Congress.

"People of Gujarat don't want to listen to Congress. I was once in Congress, I know it. The Congress insulted Gujaratis all the time and questioned the state's pride. They will never be accepted by the people of Gujarat," said Hardik Patel.

When asked about his priority as a Patidar leader, Patel said, "Alpesh Thakur and me will ensure the victory of our respective assembly constituency. (BJP) government is going to be formed with a majority, with more than 150 seats. We are here to contribute to this. Besides this, I represent the Patidar community, I have to take the whole community along, and I will work to live up to the responsibility given to me by the Bharatiya Janata Party."

Speaking about Patidar reservation agitation, he said, "Patidar movement was the biggest issue in 2017. Whether it is the 10 per cent reservation or it is a matter of forming various commissions, in 2022, not only the Patidar community of Gujarat, but the entire society of Gujarat stood together with the Bharatiya Janata Party that time and trust has increased over the years."

According to him, the Aam Aadmi Party only makes promises and does not fulfil them.

"Aam Aadmi Party only makes promises, does not fulfil them. It has to be fulfilled, there is a vision for any work, and that vision is needed."

Speaking about AAP freebies, Patel said, "They say that we will give free electricity. Every Gujarati gives electricity to each other here. Every Gujarati gets free electricity from the Gujarat government. Solar panels are installed in every house here. That's why the Aam Aadmi Party's promise of free bees will not make any difference in Gujarat. Be it Aam Aadmi Party or Congress, both have been against Gujarat's identity and pride, seven crore people of Gujarat never like them."

Speaking about the triangular fight between BJP, AAP and Congress, the BJP Viramgam candidate said, "Be it Aam Aadmi Party or Congress, both have been against Gujarat's identity and pride, seven crore people of Gujarat never like them."

Patel catapulted to the political centre stage in 2015 when he spearheaded the Patidar reservation agitation in Gujarat, building the campaign in the run-up to the 2017 state Assembly elections.

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). His emergence on the political scene in the state put the then Chief Minister Anandiben Patel in a spot. In 2016, Anandiben Patel announced her resignation from the post.

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.