Hardik speaks in Ahmedabad after 1.5 yrs to revive quota stir

The movement for reservation will continue and the Patidar community needs to put up a united fight for it, quota agitation leader Hardik Patel said, as he held his first rally here in one-and-a-half years.

"There are divisions within our community, we need to unite to make our movement strong," said Hardik, who shot to fame after galvanizing Patidar masses in a Gujarat-wide movement to demand reservations under the OBC quota in 2015.

"We should not forget violence inflicted upon our people after the GMDC rally. The deaths of our youths were due to atrocities inflicted on them by the administration," the 23-year-old leader said.

This was Hardik's first public meet in the city after the mega rally on August 25, 2015. After Hardik was detained from the GMDC ground here on that day, violence had broken out in different parts of the state and around 10 youths had died in clashes with the police. Later, he was arrested on sedition charges and jailed before being released on bail by Gujarat High Court on July 15 last year on the condition that he will stay outside the state for six months.