Hardik Patel responds to Vadra meeting claim: Tomorrow they'll say I met Nawaz Sharif, Dawood
Hardik Patel's disgruntled aide Dinesh Bambhania claimed the Patidar leader met Robert Vadra in Delhi. Hardik said the accusation is false.
In Short
- Hardik met Robert Vadra in Delhi: Dinesh Bambhania
- Was there any secret deal with him: Bambhania
- Allegation that I met Vadra is false: Hardik
What does Patidar leader Hardik Patel think of his disgruntled aide Dinesh Bambhania's claim that he met Robert Vadra?
In an interview with ANI, Hardik brushed off the allegation, saying sarcastically that tomorrow, he would be accused of meeting disqualified Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and even underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
In addition to alleging that Hardik met Robert Vadra (who is Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law) Bambhania also accused Patel of "misleading" core members of his Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) about his "secret meeting" with Gandhi at a five-star hotel here in October.
It was the PAAS that spearheaded the Patidar quota agitation - a key election issue in this year's Gujarat assembly poll.
Patel should explain what transpired at these meetings with Gandhi and Vadra, Bambhania said.
Now they are alleging I met Robert Vadra. All false.Tomorrow they can even claim I met Nawaz Sharif, then they will say I met Dawood Ibrahim: Hardik Patel #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/mbbW5uKhFX- ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2017
"Despite being asked by PAAS leaders several times, Hardik never revealed what transpired in that meeting with Rahul Gandhi. Hardik even met Robert Vadra in Delhi. Yet, there is no explanation about it. Was there any secret deal with Vadra?" Bambhania told reporters here.
Both the Congress and Patel had denied that he had a meeting with Gandhi at a five-star hotel near the city airport in October.
On December 8, a day before the first phase of polling in Gujarat, Bambhania alleged that though the Congress Gujarat unit had not clarified how it would give reservations to Patidars, Patel was supporting the party as a result of some "fixing".
Questioning Patel's open support to the Congress when the party's manifesto was not clear about how it would give reservations to Patidars under the OBC quota, Bambhania today asked, "Under what secret understanding is Hardik appealing to people to vote for the Congress?"
"At his poll rallies, Hardik Patel openly says he does not like the Congress, but he asks people to vote for it. So what are the reasons that compel him to say so?" he asked.
(Inputs from agencies)
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