This is the reward for taking on the ruling BJP, says Hardik Patel

As the Gujarat high court rejected his plea seeking a stay his conviction in a 2015 rioting case, Patidar leader and freshlyminted Congressman Hardik Patel blamed the BJP for his fate, saying that the he got “the reward for taking on the ruling party.”

The HC verdict comes as a stumbling block for his prospective electoral debut in the 2019

Lok Sabha

elections, coming at a time when he had already begun campaigning in the Jamnagar constituency.


As news of the verdict filtered out, the Patidar leader who is known for his vocal opposition to the BJP went incommunicado. Members of his original organization, Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), went into a tizzy about their leader’s next step.

After about two hours, Hardik chose to express his grievance on Twitter, saying, “I welcome the Gujarat high court verdict. Elections come and go. But it seems that BJP has been acting against constitutional values. Why is a 25-yearold worker (Hardik) of the Congress party is being stopped from fighting elections?”

“This (HC verdict) is the result of my fight against the ruling BJP. I did not bow down before the BJP, this was the only fault of mine,” said Hardik.

Hardik went on to say, “There are many BJP leaders against whom legal cases are sub-judice, and many of them are convicted also. It seems that the law is imposed on us (Congress) only.”

“I am not going to get scared. I will keep raising my voice with truthfulness, nonviolence and honesty for the people. We will form a Congress government which will be the people’s government. Now, I will not only campaign in Gujarat but in the entire country,” he said.