Why Hardik Patel is Sulking Again

Hardik Patel, the face of the Patidar reservation protests, has learnt how to get things done his way in his three-year association with the Congress party. It started in mid-April when he publicly expressed unhappiness with the party’s inability to take quick decisions. Within a fortnight, the state leaders were all lining up in an attempt to mollify him.

- Kiran D. Tare

On April 28, the death anniversary of his father Bharatbhai, Hardik declared he would not leave the Congress, but only after state president Jagdish Thakor and state in-charge Raghu Sharma (who had come to pay homage) were corralled into announcing that the working president (Hardik) would play a “crucial role” in the party’s Gujarat poll campaign in December. That couldn’t have come too soon. For, of late, Hardik has been brandishing his Hindutva credentials on social media. Last month, he described himself as a “believer of Lord Ram” and “a proud Hindu”, posted a picture wearing a saffron shawl, praised the BJP for its “decision-making capacity”, and stoked speculation further by removing mention of the Congress from his social media handles.