Will support Congress, says Hardik

Gandhinagar: Hardik Patel on Thursday, said that he would support the Congress in the Gujarat Assembly election since the party is "openly supporting Patidars."

For days the 24-year-old activist has held out from publicly backing the state's leading opposition party, demanding that it explain how it plans to meet the Patel or Patidar community's demand for reservation in government jobs and colleges if it comes to power in Gujarat.

The Congress hasn't met that demand, but Hardik Patel, back in Ahmedabad after a whirlwind tour of Saurashtra, told a television channel, "I have been telling my community that they have to vote the BJP out of power...the community is directly supporting the fall of the BJP."

Asked if this meant he would seek votes for the Congress, Hardik Patel said, "People are intelligent. When I tell them to vote the BJP out, they know who to vote for.'' He rejected allegations of a "sellout" made by other Patel groups, saying "they are not real representatives of Patidars.