Hardik Patel to hold mega PAAS rally in Bhopal on February 19

Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Hardik Patel will hold a mega rally in Bhopal on February 19.

New Delhi: Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel will hold a mega rally in Bhopal on February 19.

Around 100,000 people from the Patidar community are expected to attend the rally.

The PAAS-led by Hardik Patel had tasted the success of a sort in the recently concluded Gujarat polls as its support to Congress had helped bring down BJP's seat tally. 

Encouraged by the response, the PAAS convenor has planned to hold more rallies in states such as Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Odisha, Rajasthan and Maharashtra to expand his outreach.

Hardik Patel had recently met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Friday and promised to campaign for Trinamool Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. 

PAAS, which has organised the rally, has invited Anupriya Patel of Apna Dal, former PM and JDS leader from Karnataka HD Deve Gowda, Congress leader from Andhra Pradesh Chiranjeevi and many others to the event.

PAAS convener Dharmik Malaviya said, "We have planned programmes in different states to unite the Patel community, known by the names Kurmis, Gurjars, Marathas and others. We have received their invitation to hold programmes in their states, and they have also expressed their wish for Hardik's presence. Most of those states are BJP-ruled and like in Gujarat, our community is up in arms against their governments. We are going to fight against BJP on the same pattern we did in Gujarat."

"Hardik is continuously travelling to different states and people have been inviting him to rallies. There is a great demand for him in the states that are going to polls this year or the next. We have also been coordinating with community leaders for the rallies and other programmes. Our single-point agenda is to ensure that the farming community gets justice, and we are following the Gujarat pattern in all these states," Malaviya added.

The PAAS is undertaking organisational restructuring in Gujarat. 

By the end of February, the PAAS is likely to appoint new office-bearers in all the districts.

Its core committee is likely to see some changes.