Congress leader Kapil Sibal is set to hold a meeting with Gujarat’s Patidar leaders on November 6 to attempt to find a solution for the disgruntled community’s demand that it be given reservations in educational institutions and government jobs and a status on a par with Other Backward Castes.
Hardik Patel, the leader of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti who has been been spearheading the agitation for reservations, is also likely to attend the meeting, according to officials in the Congress. He is expected to clear the air on whether he will be supporting the Congress in the crucial Assembly elections in Gujarat in December on November 7. Earlier, Patel had indicated that he would support the party, but only if it agreed to fulfil this key demand.
The support of the politically influential Patidar community, which accounts for 14% of the state’s population, is crucial for the Congress as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party which is hoping to retain power in the state.
Confirming the November 6 meeting with Sibal, Patidar leader Narendra Patel told Scroll.in that Hardik Patel’s presence in the meeting will be based on the proposal the Congress leader brings to the table.
“We are expecting to resolve the issue in our meeting with Kapil Sibal on November 6,” Narendra Patel said. “The Congress appears keen to give a serious consideration to our demands. It has already accepted four out of five demands. Hardik may join the meeting on November 6 if the Congress brings a positive proposal to the table.”
Reaching a solution
The four demands had been accepted during the previous round of deliberations between core group members of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti and the state Congress leaders on October 30. At the meeting, the Congress had agreed that if it came to power in Gujarat, it would withdraw all cases against were filed against Patidar over the 2015 quota agitations in Ahmedabad after the stir turned violent.
The party also agreed constitute a special investigation team to inquire into alleged police excesses on Patel agitators during a violent crackdown on the protests and take legal action against guilty officials. It accepted the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti demand of giving Rs 35 lakh compensation to the families of all those killed in police firing during the protests and government jobs for their next of kin.
Hardik Patel, who had emerged as a powerful Patidar leader after the 2015 stir, had vowed to ensure the defeat of the BJP, a party that the community had till then been loyal to.
However, the two sides decided to hold another round of talks to find a definitive solution to thorny quota demand. Though Hardik did not attend the October 30 meeting, he hailed the talks as positive.
The Congress is hopeful that the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leaders’ talks with Sibal will help the two sides arrive at a mutually acceptable and Constitutionally valid way to resolve the reservation demand. According to Congress officials, the talks with the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leaders would be held keeping in mind that constitutionally, it is not possible to disturb the reservation provisions for Other Backward Classes, as the Patidars are a powerful and influential community. However, they could possibly work out a way to give reservation to economically weaker members of an upper caste community.
The Congress’ decision to send Sibal for the crucial talks is significant because, apart from being a constitutional expert, the veteran leader also enjoys good rapport with Hardik Patel. He had defended the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti convener pro bono in 2015, when Hardik Patel filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against Gujarat High Court’s decision not to quash sedition charges slapped on him by Surat police.
On October 21, the Congress had invited Patel to join hands to fight against the BJP in the upcoming Assembly election. On October 28, Hardik Patel had told The Hindustan Times that he was ready to support the Congress in the upcoming elections, but on the condition that they agree to meet the quota demand.