Denied permission, Hardik Patel goes ahead with Ahmedabad roadshow
Hardik Patel during his roadshow in Ahmedabad on Monday. (Express Photo: Javed Raja) Hardik Patel during his roadshow in Ahmedabad on Monday. (Express Photo: Javed Raja)
Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) convener Hardik Patel on Monday took out a 15-km roadshow, traversing localities dominated by the influential community in Ahmedabad, despite police denying permission to it. The roadshow — which included a number of motorcycles and four-wheelers besides hundreds of Hardik supporters — started from from Bopal area of the city and culminated at Nikol, where the Patidar quota agitation leader held a public meeting and attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.
“We have denied permission for all roadshows citing the Election Commission guidelines. These roadshows might create law and order problems. We have allowed public meetings…We are ready to take legal recourse if roadshows take place,” Ahmedabad police commissioner AK Singh told The Indian Express.
Hardik, however, remained unfazed and said: “I am getting very good response from the people and I am very confident.” Many localities enroute his roadshow had witnessed quota-related violence and subsequent crackdown in August 2015.
On December 8, Surat police had registered offence against the Patidar leader for violating conditions set for organising a public meeting and rally in Surat on December 3.
“Even golden Lanka of arrogant Ravana was destroyed, then why not we can teach a lesson to this atrocious (BJP) government which has killed our 14 youths, abused our mothers and sisters,” Hardik told audience at a public meeting in Nikol after the roadshow.
Invoking the 2015 crackdown on Patidar protesters, Hardik told the gathering “not to forget it and vote against the BJP so that Amit Shah at whose instance police atrocities were committed doesn’t become the chief minister.”
He also attacked Modi “for spreading lies” and said that “saheb has brought Pakistan in the Gujarat elections. Why can’t he talk about development?”
He made the crowd swear in the name of goddess Umiya and Khodiyar not to vote for the BJP. “They (BJP) are saying that I will be finished after December 18 (when votes will be counted), but I want to tell you that this fight is not about me. I am ready to go to jail for 14 years, but remember what happened to (former CM) Keshubhai Patel. He is now restricted to a trustee of Somnath Temple,” he claimed.
No police nod for Rahul, BJP roadshows today
Meanwhile, police have denied permission to the roadshows of Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi and the BJP, which were to be held here on Tuesday.
The BJP had sought permission for the roadshow from Dharnidhar Derasar to Bapu Nagar in the city, while the Congress wanted the nod for its roadshow from the Jagannath temple to Menco area and corner meetings on the route, DCP (traffic) H R Muliyana said.
However, the Ahmedabad police commissioner has denied the permission to both the parties, citing traffic congestion and some main markets and old city areas, which are communally sensitive and have narrow roads, falling on the routes of the roadshows, he said.
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