Hardik Patel leaves for Rajasthan on six-month exile

Patel quota stir leader Hardik Patel left for Udaipur on Sunday, in accordance with the Gujarat High Court’s condition that he will have to stay out of the state for six months.

The high court had earlier paved the way for Hardik’s release after granting him bail in two cases of sedition and a case related to violence at Visnagar MLA’s office. As per the court’s direction, Hardik had to leave Gujarat within 48 hours of his release from the jail. Since the 48-hour time limit was ending at 11 am on Sunday, Hardik left for Udaipur at 7.30 am.

The 22-year-old leader will stay at a house owned by former Congress MLA and local Patel leader Pushkarlal Patel in Udaipur.

In an undertaking submitted before the sessions courts of Surat and Ahmedabad, Hardik’s lawyers had informed that the leader will stay at House No 190, Shrinath Nagar on Airport road in Udaipur. “I have made all the arrangements for



Hardik at my place. He is fighting for the rights of our community and he has the support of Patel community in Rajasthan too,” Pushkarlal Patel told reporters. 

Hardik, who is demanding inclusion of the Patel community under the OBC quota, had walked out of jail on Friday.  To a question that day on his chances of joining active politics, he had said: “People of my community will decide if I have to join politics or not. I will take the decision when my community tells me. Otherwise, I don’t feel that we have to be in politics to do something for our nation and people.”

Following this, all Opposition parties in Gujarat are trying to woo the firebrand leader, apparently with an eye on the state Assembly polls next year. 

The Congress, the NCP and the AAP made a beeline for Hardik’s inclusion in their parties — some openly inviting him while others did so by sending feelers.