"Rahul Gandhi Busy With Yatra, No Gujarat Vision": Hardik Patel To NDTV

Contesting his first election, having recently joined the ruling BJP, Hardik Patel says Congress "never stops anyone from leaving"

Hardik Patel, the young Patidar community leader who is now with the BJP, today said his former party Congress has no vision for Gujarat. "Rahul Gandhi is busy with his 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in the South and elsewhere," he said, pressing on the fact that the Congress top leader's marquee march isn't passing through poll-bound Gujarat. 

Contesting his first election, having recently joined the ruling BJP after quitting as Congress state unit Working President, Hardik Patel told NDTV that the Congress "never stops anyone from leaving", and jibed that the party "does not need a Gujarati".

He denied allegations that the fear of being jailed over pending cases, including some from the time of the Patidar quota agitation, made him switch sides. "I still have cases on me. If you think joining a party will relieve me from that, then that's not it," said the 29-year-old who did not contest previous elections as he did not fulfil the minimum age criterion of 25. 

On community arithmetic, he stressed that the Patel/Patidar community has "always been the vote bank of the BJP".