BJP behind Hardik Patel’s resignation, says Congress

Sources say efforts are on to reach the Patel leader to retain him. If Congress loses Hardik, it would be set back for the party ahead of the assembly polls in Gujarat later this year, writes ETV Bharat's Amit Agnihotri.

New Delhi:Hours after Hardik Patel resigned from the Congress, the grand old party blamed the BJP for the development and said the saffron party’s dream of a “Congress mukt bharat” would never succeed. The party attested the tone and tenor of the resignation letter for saffron influence.

“The language in Hardik’s resignation letter shows that it has been drafted by the BJP. The BJP knows it cannot win Gujarat hence it is trying to poach Congress leaders. But they will not succeed,” senior Congress leader Shakti Sinh Gohil told reporters.

“Hardik had some time ago criticized home minister Amit Shah,” he said. Gohil said when Hardik recently removed Congress from his Twitter bio and started making provocative statements there had been suspicion that he was moving towards the BJP.

“The high command spoke to you directly. You were given an important party post as working president. What happened to your promise of fighting for the rights of Patels against the BJP,” he said. Gohil cited statements from some Patel community leaders questioning the recent remarks made by Hardik to point out that the young leader had been lured by the BJP, which had no internal democracy.

“Now the cases against Hardik and other community leaders will be withdrawn,” he said. The central leadership of the Congress expressed hope that the young leader would not leave the party. “He will not leave the party. The party has given him so much. I will speak to him,” AICC Secretary in charge of Gujarat BM Sandeep Kumar told ETV Bharat.

The response came shortly after Hardik announced his resignation on Twitter and also posted a letter where he slammed the state leaders. “Today I gather courage to resign from my party post and from the primary membership of the party. I hope the people of Gujarat will welcome my move. I also hope that I will be able to do constructive work for my state,” Hardik tweeted.

His resignation letter addressed to party chief Sonia Gandhi gave ample hints that Hardik was shifting towards the BJP as the leader mentioned that people wanted solutions to issues like Lord Ram temple, Article 370 and implementation of GST. He charged Congress was only focused on criticizing PM Modi and his government.

He also mentioned that the Gujaratis would never forget how the Congress insulted Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Hardik further said that he had been trying to steer the opposition party in the state towards the right direction but the party has been constantly working against the interests of his country and society.

The young leader, who has been publicly speaking against the senior leaders in the state, charged in his letter that whenever he met them to raise issues affecting the people, he found that they were not interested. Noting that leaders like were traveling for 600 km to meet people in a car but for some seniors getting chicken sandwiches for leaders who come from Delhi on time was more important.

“The Congress has always promoted young leaders,” said Gohil to counter Hardik’s charges. He accused the state leaders of diluting the issues affecting the people and noted that he did not know that the hearts of Congress leaders were filled with hate for India when he joined the party.

Hardik, who recently addressed a youth rally along with Youth Congress chief BV Srinivas, had skipped the three-day Chintan Shivir in Udaipur, which set the alarm bells ringing in Delhi. Sources said efforts were on to reach the Patel leader to hold him back.

If Congress loses Hardik, it would be set back for the party ahead of the assembly polls later this year. Hardik’s entry had helped Congress in the 2017 assembly polls.