Hardik Patel praises ‘strong’ BJP, calls himself a ‘devotee of Lord Ram'

The Gujarat Congress working president has, in recent days, expressed unhappiness with his party, though he has also denied that he is looking to leave the party.

Published on: Apr 22, 2022, 19:29:55 IST

By HT News Desk, New Delhi

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Gujarat Congress working president Hardik Patel, who recently claimed that leaders of the party’s state unit were ‘harassing him’, on Friday praised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that the BJP is strong because it has politicians with leadership qualities. “We should recognise our rivals’ strength; they are powerful, and should never be underestimated,” Patel told reporters, according to Hindustan Times’ sister publication Livehindustan.

Also Read | Facing harassment from partymen, they want me to leave Congress: Hardik Patel

The 28-year-old, who came into limelight as the leader of the 2015 Patidar agitation, reiterated he will not quit the grand old party, which he joined in March 2019.

Also Read | Hardik Patel denies talk of leaving Congress, says, 'will be small fights'

“As the opposition, we have failed in raising people’ issues The opposition should put people’s issues in front of the government, and fight for it. If we cannot do that, people will look for alternatives,” he said, referring possibly to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has already invited him to switch sides.

Also Read | 'Instead of complaining...': AAP's advice for Congress' Hardik Patel

Patel also described himself as a ‘Rambhakt’. “We believed in Lord Ram. On my father’s birth anniversary, I will distribute 4,000 copies of the Bhagavad Gita. We are Hindus, and proud to be Hindus,” he remarked.

Welcoming the remarks, Gujarat BJP chief CR Patil lauded Hardik Patel for making these comments publicly.

Meanwhile, for the Congress, the situation comes just months ahead of the Gujarat assembly elections, likely to be held in December. The western state has been a BJP bastion for nearly three decades. The Congress, meanwhile, last had a chief minister in Gujarat in 1995.

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