Patidar protesters clash with Congress workers, vandalise party office hours after 'deal'

Dismayed over ticket distribution ahead of assembly polls, PAAS protestors clashed with Congress workers in Gujarat

ANI photo

AHMEDABAD: Hours after Gujarat Congress declared a truce with Hardik Patel over seat distribution in upcoming Gujarat polls, late-night protests by Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) workers erupted in Ahmedabad and Surat. Unhappy with ticket distribution, agitated protestors clashed with Congress workers and allegedly vandalised party office in Surat. 

Clashes also broke out between PAAS leader Dinesh Patel and a police personnel outside the residence of Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki. The Patidaar leader informed that PAAS members had to wait for hours outside after they were called to Solanki`s residence for a meeting.

The Congress` released a list of 77 candidates on Sunday night for the Gujarat elections, which included just three PAAS candidates. Angry over it, leaders of the community staged a protest.

"We`ll protest against Congress tomorrow, and will rethink about extending our support to them, who are shirking their responsibility. We`ll also ask public to rethink about Congress, because they are not answering a simple question. How can we expect to be heard when our questions are also not being answered by Congress?" Dinesh Patel told ANI.

#WATCH Surat: Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti workers clash with Congress workers over ticket distribution (earlier visuals) pic.twitter.com/uz5fx9oXIc — ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2017

"We`ll ask our party candidates to not file a nomination. If they still do, we`ll protest against them also," he added.

The Patidar leader also alleged that Police is targeting the community, and posing a threat to their lives.

"Police personnel are arresting us under the influence and out of uniform too. They want to kill us. Our life is under threat," he added.

On Sunday night, the Gujarat Congress and Hardik Patel reached an agreement over the issue of granting reservation to Patels, if the Congress is voted to power in the state Assembly election.

"Earlier, we had asked the Congress to clarify how they would grant Patidars a constitutionally valid reservation. Today, we held a crucial meeting on that issue and finally reached a consensus on various options offered by the party to us. The official announcement of this agreement will be made by Hardik tomorrow in Rajkot," PAAS convener Dinesh Bambhania said after the meeting on the issue.

He is a key aide of Hardik Patel, who was missing from the meeting.

The meeting with PAAS leaders was attended by Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki and senior Congress leaders Siddharth Patel and Babubhai Mangukia.

Solanki claimed the meeting yielded a "positive outcome".

"The meeting was successful and yielded a positive outcome. We both agreed to implement this agreement in coming days," he said.

Hardik Patel had earlier set a condition that he would support the Congress in the Assembly polls, due next month, only if the party committed itself to allotting reservation in education and government jobs to his community.

Meanwhile, the Congress first list of candidates contained names of senior leaders Shaktisinh Gohil and Arjun Modhwadia.

Gujarat polls are set to be held on December 9 and 14 and votes will be counted on December 18.