Two days after two of his former associates accused him of using the Patidar quota agitation as a "tool to nurture his leadership ambition", Hardik Patel on Wednesday hit back saying his detractors were "playing into the hands of some in the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Gujarat who were trying to weaken the protest" by maligning his image.
A Delhi court will pass the order on Tuesday on the bail plea of freelance journalist Mandeep Punia arrested by the Delhi Police from the Singhu border protest site here where farmers are agitating against the three contentious agri laws.
Residents of some Patel-community dominated villages in Gujarat are withdrawing their bank deposits with one cooperative bank.
The move comes a day a day after Patel community members living in the US announced a "boycott" of Modi's upcoming visit there.
The Madhes-based parties have been protesting for over four months against the seven-province model proposed in the new Constitution that divides their ancestral land.
The Patel community, a decisive vote bank in Gujarat, has two main sects -- Leuva and Kadva. Maa Umiya is the reigning deity of Kadva Patel community.
'We have unleashed a nastiness and viciousness in ourselves that had been bottled up before.' 'This government has helped uncork it, possible forever, and to my mind that is its most significant achievement.'
Patel told Congress to clear their stand on Patidar quota by November 3.
Perplexed by the development, the stone pelters ended the protest early as they were caught unaware of the police strategy.
As she steps down, a look at the top two contenders -- Vijay Rupani and Nitin Patel -- who could become Gujarat's next chief minister.
'In a democracy, how can you be scared of Amit Shah?'
The stir by Kapu community members seeking reservation under Backward Class category turned violent today with agitators setting four coaches of Ratnachal Express on fire.
The meeting was to know how the party plans to grant reservation to Patidars if voted to power in the upcoming assembly polls in Gujarat.
Miscreants had also set fire to a police outpost.
'In the hands of a majoritarian government, with utter contempt for the cultural plurality and diversity of our great nation, the pipe dream of making Hindi the sole official language takes on nightmarish proportions.'
The Centre directed security forces to use force to clear blockades.
Tension persisted on Friday in violence-hit Gujarat which has been rocked by the Patel quota reservation stir even as curfew was lifted from many cities and some parts of Ahmedabad and no major incident reported since on Thursday.
The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader said that reservation formula given by the Congress for his community will be over and above the 50 per cent quota for the Schedule Tribes, Schedule Castes and Other Backward Class.
A senior security official has claimed that the Maoists had carefully planned the detention of the New Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express and the five-hour hostage crisis on Tuesday.
While Patel alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state had denied permission as it was trying to thwart his agitation, the police said it was done keeping in mind the law-and-order situation since such protests had led to violence and arson in the past.
Under the new reservation rule, families with income below Rs 6 lakh per annum will be eligible for quota benefit.
RBI's oversight cadre move creates HR trouble, officers threaten agitation.
Representatives of the Maratha community attributed the stepping up of pressure by the community to the "arrogance and lies" told to its members by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, and the "uncontrolled anger" among its youth over the delay in getting reservations.
However, another quota agitation body Sardar Patel Group welcomed the government's move, but said they will assess how it will help Patel community and up to what extent.
Hardik Patel, who has become the face of the Patel agitation, announced postponement till September 13 of the 'reverse Dandi yatra' over the quota issue, which was scheduled to be taken out on Sunday.
The Patel quota leader Friday walked out of Lajpore jail in Surat after nine months of confinement, vowing to continue the stir.
The situation in Gujarat, bearing the brunt of the agitation by Patel community seeking reservation under Other Backwards Class category, is gradually returning to normal, officials said.
When Sheena got down from his car on the evening of April 24, 2012, Rahul says she told him, "Bye. Love you. See you later."
''The Congress has forgotten how to mobilise people on political issues,' says Aakar Patel.
The fourth round of talks between the two sides are underway at the state secretariat building in Jaipur.
In an unprecedented move, United Democratic Front MLAs blocked Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan inside the state assembly on Wednesday with 'go back' slogans and placards against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
"We have taken note of this anger. We should not take upper caste votes for granted believing that they will not vote for any other party as there is no option," a senior BJP leader said.
British Parliament's Petitions Committee will consider a Westminster Hall debate in the House of Commons complex on the issue of farmers protests and press freedom in India after an online petition attracted over 106,000 signatures.
The latest development comes a day after the BJP decided to support Nitish Kumar's human chain for prohibition next week.
Hardik and around four of his supporters were detained when he was going to the cricket stadium in the attire of a farmer.
Gujjars remained adamant for calling the committee of ministers at Bayana in Bharatpur for holding talks to resolve the issue
Raising the pitch against the quota bill, thousands of Uttar Pradesh government employees on Monday marched down the streets of Lucknow, expressing their ire against Bahujan Samaj Party President Mayawati and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. The agitators blamed them for pushing the constitutional amendment bill in the Parliament for introducing reservation in promotions in all government jobs.
Lakhs of employees of the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday took out rallies and staged 'dharna' across state protesting against the bill seeking to provide reservation to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in promotion in government jobs.
Hardik and 50 members of his Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti got their heads shaved as a mark of protest.
If the Anandiben Patel administration was shaken by the Patidar agitation, the Vijay Rupani government would have to deal with the Jignesh Mevani-led Dalit movement.
