Ahmedabad: Prominent leaders from the Patidar community on Wednesday met Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and sought resolution of pending demands such as the withdrawal of cases filed against Patidar quota agitators. The meeting, coming ahead of Gujarat Assembly elections which are due by year-end, took place at the chief minister's official residence in Gandhinagar.
"The state government's approach was positive during the meeting. The chief minister has given an assurance that he will try to find a solution to these issues at the earliest. We were informed that the Chief Minister's Office has also instructed concerned officials to expedite the work," said C K Patel, a key member of the delegation.
Leaders of nearly 20 organizations of the Patidar (or Patel) community including Umiyadham and Khodaldham met the CM, he added. These organizations have formed the World Patidar Federation for better coordination, he said. "We requested the CM to speed up the withdrawal of all remaining cases lodged against Patidars during the 2015 Patidar quota agitation. We also drew his attention to our old demand that at least one family member of the 14 Patidar community members killed during the agitation be given jobs," Patel further said.