Quota demand: Patel outfit gives 1-month ultimatum to Gujarat government

AHMEDABAD: Sardar Patel Group president Lalji Patel, who works closely with jailed leader Hardik Patel, met Chief Minister Anandiben Patel today and gave her a one-month ultimatum to resolve the issue of reservation for the Patel community.

Lalji Patel, Jairam Vansjaliya and some other SPG leaders met Health Minister Nitin Patel at Gandhinagar, and then met the chief minister at her residence.

Lalji handed her a memorandum of 29 demands.

Interestingly, the demands submitted today talk of reservation under the Economically Backward Classes (EBC), rather than under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

"Patel community has been fighting for nine months for its demands. I urged the CM to form a committee and hold talks with SPG and PAAS (Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti) leaders to find a solution....If our demands are not met in one month, we may have to start our agitation again," Lalji told reporters afterwards.

Some of the key demands of SPG are reservation to Patels under EBC, release of their jailed leaders, government jobs for relatives of Patel youths who died during the quota stir, withdrawal of cases against Patel youths including PAAS convener Hardik Patel and others, and formation of a Patidar Aayog for Patel students from financially weaker families.

The Government should carry out an economic survey of the Patel community, it demands.

On March 6, Hardik Patel, who is in jail, had sent his charter of 27 similar demands to the CM through BJP MP Vitthal Radadia and Patel leader Jairam Vansjaliya.