Gujarat CM rules out quotas for Patels

Rajkot: Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Monday declared there will be no reservations for the Patels in jobs and educational institutions.

She made the announcement a day after polling in the first of the two tiered-local self government elections concluded on Sunday to pick six new municipal corporations.

Patel was speaking at an election rally in Saurashtra's Amreli district, which was among the key centres of the four-month-old agitation by young Patel community leaders seeking quota benefits.

This is the first time the chief minister has categorically denied any reservations to the Patel community and asserted that her government would not let other communities suffer by giving quotas to the Patels.

"Only five percent of Patels are agitating and demanding reservation. There is no question of giving them quotas. Will not let other communities suffer," she said in a speech in Rajula town.

Without directly referring to the sprinkling of the OBCs at the rally, Patel reiterated that the job and educational quotas of other communities would not be compromised to pamper the Patels.