Surat: Hardik Patel, the 22-year-old leader of the Patidar reservation movement will be organising a reverse Dandi march from Dandi to Ahmedabad later this week to scale up the agitation in its second phase, said Dinesh Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) core committee member. He was with Hardik in the city to launch the next round of agitation to press for reservation to the Patel community under OBC quota.
“Mahatma Gandhi did Dandi March on this route, starting from Sabarmati in Ahmedabad till Dandi in south Gujarat. Walking on this 350-km route, we will hold our own ‘Patidar Anamat Kooch’,” Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) core committee member Dinesh Patel said.
“The march will be organised on the same route where Dandi March was held. However, our march will be in the reverse direction. Instead of going to Dandi from Ahmedabad, we will start our march from Dandi and arrive at Ahmedabad. As per our tentative schedule, it will be organised on either September 5 or 6,” Dinesh said.
Dinesh said the second round of agitation includes a Gandhigiri-style programme to make all Patel community MLAs clarify their stand on reservation for the community under OBC quota.
“In coming days, Hardik will kick start this drive from Ahmedabad. He will give a rose to each Patel MLA of city and politely ask him/her to make his stand (on reservation issue) clear in public. We want to know who are with us. We will carry out this programme in a peaceful manner,” he added.
The Dandi March led by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 was an important part of the independence movement and Hardik’s move to choose that location for strengthening his agitation is viewed as a clever strategy to send the message across various stake-holders.
Hardik and other PAAS leaders held marathon meetings with local Patel leaders, student groups and Patel businessmen here, as part of the second phase of their agitation.
There are over 35 MLAs belonging to the Patel community in the state, out of total 182.
