August 25 will mark 10 years of the quota agitation by the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), led by Hardik Patel. The protests catapulted Hardik to fame, and are believed to have led to the resignation of Anandiben Patel as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. In the 2017 Assembly elections that followed, the Congress came closest to the BJP in the state in a long time.
Four years after the 2015 Patidar stir, Hardik joined the Congress and was made the working president of its state unit in July 2020. In 2022, after publicly castigating the Congress, he joined the BJP. Hardik, currently the BJP MLA from Viramgam, speaks with The Indian Express on his political journey. Excerpts:
What is your assessment of the Patidar reservation agitation 10 years later?
It was a time of boldness… Of halla bol (raise your voice) . The vigour of youth was more then. We had junoon (passion) to bring about change. We struggled, got harassed, went to jail… 14 youths lost their lives. But the end result was good. 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) was implemented in the entire country.
We become happy when somebody messages and says they have got a job under the 10% EWS quota because of the andolan (agitation). The end result of the agitation is now visible. Its benefits are being received by marginalised sections, especially from Patel, Baniya, Brahmin, and even some Muslim communities that fall under the General category.
What would you call the biggest takeaway from the agitation?
The emergence of youth leadership in the state. Agitations by SC/ST/OBC communities started after the Patidar agitation. In every community, the youth became confident that they can fight for their rights. Young leadership emerged in every community.
Many of them became MLAs, district panchayat members… I believe a new, young generation has been prepared due to the Patidar agitation. They will continue to provide leadership for the next 50 years. Apart from me, there is Alpesh (Thakor) from the Thakor community, Jignesh Mevani from the Dalits community… There is Chaitar Vasava, Gopal Italia…
During the agitation, you had said that you would not join politics… What changed?
We were saying that we will not join (the BJP or any political party) during the agitation. Can we not take a decision after the agitation concluded? In 2019, 10% reservation (for EWS) was announced… Why can’t I join a political party?
Your critics say you joined the BJP so that the criminal cases against you would be withdrawn.
The cases against me were not those of corruption or money laundering. They were about illegal rallies, speaking against the government in public speeches. They were from the time of the agitation. When I joined the BJP (after quitting the Congress), the clear purpose was to do something good. We thought we were against the establishment and still got success for the community… And that with power, we could certainly get some special benefits for the community.
Legally, I cannot be convicted in the cases against me. If I was to compromise, then I could have done it before joining the Congress.
One can work for the people only in satta (power). (I have) total clarity. Besides, the Congress does not have any vision for the country or Gujarat. Virangam had a Congress MLA for 10 years. But 0% work was done. I got elected in December 2022. We are in August 2025. In two-and-a-half-years, grants worth Rs 1,800 crore have come to Viramgam.
And I was not a pure Congressman. My father was a pure BJP worker who used to accompany Anandiben (Patel) when she was fighting elections from here.
BJP leaders such as Nitin Patel and Rushikesh Patel were targeted during the Patidar agitation. How do you reconcile with the differences?
During the agitation, there was clarity that we have to speak against the government. But we were not enemies. When I was to join the BJP, I had a meeting with Amit bhai (Union Home Minister Amit Shah). In that meeting there was not a single reference to what I was doing during the agitation. Even (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi saheb enquired about me on a couple of occasions.
It is believed that Anadiben Patel had to resign as Gujarat CM in the wake of the agitation.
No, no, I don’t agree with this. People are wrongly and intentionally interpreting it like that. She may have decided to quit anyway and we were made a pretext.
What is the status of the PAAS now?
A committee for any agitation is formed with an objective. When we started the agitation, our objective was to get reservation benefits for the (Patidar) community. When (PM) Narendra Modi got a bill for 10% EWS reservation passed, we considered it the end result of the agitation. When I joined the Congress, I stepped down as PAAS convenor and handed over the responsibility to Alpesh Kathiriya.
How do you see the Aam Aadmi Party? Do you consider them a challenge?
Not at all. The AAP is doing social media politics at the moment. After their loss in the Delhi elections, they won a by-election (in Gujarat), but the seat was with the AAP and they retained it. Winning one seat cannot bring major changes.