Hardik Patel said he has "wasted three years of his political life in the Congress".
Gujarat's Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who has quit the Congress ahead of the state elections, today accused the party of constantly "taking out anger" on the country's top industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani. These industrialists, he said, have advanced through hard work and they cannot be targetted just because the Prime Minister's home state is Gujarat, he said.
"A businessman rises due to his or her own hard work. You can't abuse Adani or Ambani every time. If PM is from Gujarat, then why take out your anger about this on Ambani and Adani? This was just a way to mislead people," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Declaring that he has "wasted three years of his political life in the Congress," Hardik Patel claimed had he not been with the party, he "could have worked better for Gujarat".
"Neither did I ever get an opportunity to work while being in the party nor did Congress give me any work," ANI quoted him as saying.
Mr Patel, who had made it clear that he was upset with the party, quit yesterday with a jab that was seen as targeting Rahul Gandhi.
Top leaders, he wrote in his resignation letter, "were distracted by their mobile phones" and the Gujarat Congress was more interested in supplying them with "chicken sandwiches".
The Congress labelled him an "opportunist" and alleged that he has been in touch with the BJP for six years to ensure withdrawal of the police cases against him filed during the quota row.
Mr Patel has denied that he is making a beeline for the BJP, as many Congress leaders have done over the last couple of years.