Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Hardik Patel and Thakor Sena president and newly appointed Congress leader Alpesh Thakor chorused the same thing at Game of Gujarat, organised by Zee News — there was no real development in Gujarat in the past 22 years as people were mostly unhappy.
Though their agendas of agitation were poles apart, both leaders expressed their angst against the BJP and Gujarat government in the programme.
Hardik Patel said, "What development has BJP done? In fact, the youth in Gujarat is largely unemployed. BJP kept people in fear and ruled over them. They divided people in the name of religion, caste and other barriers, but people of Gujarat have become aware now. This is the time to show them the reality and that was the reason why the reservation agitation took birth here. Patel community's agitation was symbolic, our motive is welfare for all communities."
Hardik Patel also said that he would keep up with agitations on different issues, even if the BJP came back to power after the polls. However, he was elusive over the issue of the controversial tape and said, "The CD was fake. I could doctor that kind of CD of CM Vijay Rupani too, if someone gives me Rs 2 crore. No one has the right to ask me questions on my personal life or talk on that. My parents also never asked me, then why should others?"
Taking a jibe at his former colleagues like Varun, Reshma and Chirag Patel, Hardik said, "Those who defected from the quota agitation only because they had disagreements with me, should have disowned me and started their own movement, but they joined the BJP. This should hurt their conscience."
Alpesh Thakor, pointing at the development of Gujarat, said, "This development is hollow. Gujarat has wide roads but on the other side, people are sobbing as their lives are not as smooth. Ahmedabad has a riverfront and the beauty of the city has gone up increased. But how does that help a person who is out on the streets the whole day in search of a job? When he fails to get one at the end of the day, he probably spends the night at the Riverfront. Is this development in the true sense? BJP has been publicising the development but is really fooling people by not living up to its promises."
Thakor also said that he joined Congress after a long wait for a good response from the BJP government. He said, "I believe that the Congress will win with more than 125 seats in Gujarat as people in the state are fed up with BJP's hypocrisy. BJP never responds to questions. This is why we believe that people of Gujarat will not accept BJP now."
