AHMEDABAD: Khodaldham trustee Naresh Patel held a closed door meeting with Congress working president Hardik Patel in Rajkot on Saturday, triggering a speculation that he would be joining the opposition party in Gujarat.
Though Congress insiders confirmed that Naresh Patel, the influential Patidar leader from Saurashtra, had called Hardik, they could not confirm what transpired between the two leaders in the three-hour meeting that started about 8 pm. Sources close to Hardik claimed that he left for Delhi on Sunday after receiving a call from the Congress top brass.
A trailblazer from the Patidar community, Hardik has been expressing dissent over the Congress favouring Naresh Patel’s entry into the party. Hardik is pulling out all the stops in order to consolidate his position within the party as well as Patidar politics. The Congress working president has also claimed that he has been “sidelined and harassed” in the party.
The AAP had then tried to fish in the troubled waters by saying it party would welcome Hardik with open arms. On Sunday, Leader of Opposition Sukhram Rathva sought to downplay the anger vented by his young colleague. ‘‘Hardik Patel is a sensible man. He is young... Hardik will stay with the Congress,” said.