The opposition Congress in Gujarat has thrown its weight behind Patidar leader Hardik Patel who has announced to sit on an indefinite hunger strike for the quota demand from August 25.
A delegation of 21 MLAs of the Congress today called on Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel in Gandhinagar in this regard.
"Gujarat is the land of Mahatma Gandhi. We urged the government to give Hardik permission to sit on fast. The government cannot deny him permission. Not just Hardik, anyone who wants to protest in a peaceful manner should be allowed to do so," Congress MLA Lalit Kagathara told reporters after the meeting.
Hardik had on August 16 announced that he would sit on an indefinite fast for the quota demand from August 25.
He had announced to hold the protest in Ahmedabad, but was denied permission by local authorities.
Hardik yesterday sought permission from authorities to allow him to sit on the indefinite fast at Satyagrah Chhavni in Gandhinagar, after Ahmedabad district collector imposed section 144 of the CrPC in the city, which prohibits assembly of more than four persons in an area.
Hardik-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) has been demanding quota for Patidars under the OBC category in education and jobs.
Hardik and members of the PAAS had tried to hold a symbolic fast on a ground in Nikol area of Ahmedabad on August 19 seeking allocation of a ground for the August 25 programme.
Meanwhile, senior Congress MLA Virji Thummar alleged today that the BJP government was refusing permission to Hardik because it is "scared".
"Hardik is fighting for the rights of his community and we firmly believe that he must be allowed to hold the fast. Since the government has not taken any decision yet, it seems that it is scared. The government is trying to derail the agitation," he alleged.
Pratap Dudhat, who was also part of the delegation, said, "By denying permission to Hardik, the state government has proved that it is worse than the Britishers".
He said Nitin Patel assured the MLAs today to convey their "feelings" to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
The ruling BJP had termed Hardik as an agent of the Congress, an allegation denied by the opposition party.
Largescale protests were held across Gujarat in 2015 for the Patidar quota demand. The protests were marred by violence in many parts of the state.
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