New Delhi: Hardik Patel, who grabbed headlines nation-wide when he led a huge agitation to demand reservations for Gujarat’s Patidar community, has narrated the experience in a new book, “Who Took My Job: Why the Indian Reservation System Needs to Change”, to be published by Juggernaut Books.
In the book, Patel, 24, shares his ideologies with senior journalist Darshan Desai who has written the book that explores Patel’s political philosophy, the reservation movement he spearheads, and his journey so far.
The book will be simultaneously published in Hindi and English.
“There should be 100 per cent reservation for all, according to population. Agriculture is in bad shape, employment opportunities are dwindling and there is no point of good education when you don’t get admissions or even government jobs. I am not saying existing reservations should be stopped but meritorious persons should not be denied opportunities just to accommodate others,” Patel said in a statement.
“For a journalist who has been covering politics for long, the Hardik Patel phenomenon was an eye opener not only because a boy in his early twenties shook an invincible Narendra Modi mountain, but also because he made a new national voice of sorts. My attempt here is not just a book talking to Hardik Patel, but trying to figure out this new generation, which, curiously is not against reservations for many disadvantaged classes but wants its own space,” Desai said of his reason for writing the book.
Chiki Sarkar, Publisher, Juggernaut Books added: “At Juggernaut, we are committed to provide a platform to a new generation of voices, young leaders who are changing the landscape of Indian politics. This book promises to provide an insight into the aspirations of millions of young Indians”.
