21-year-old Hardik Patel addressing a mega rally in Ahmedabad on August 25, 2015 (Agence France-Presse photo)
During his massive rally, in which Hardik Patel issued an ultimatum to the BJP government in Gujarat, the 21-year-old received a shout-out from Bihar. Unsurprisingly, Nitish Kumar, the state's Chief Minister, backed Mr Patel on his demand for government jobs and college seats in Gujarat to be set aside for the caste of Patels or Patedars as part of its reservation policy.
Mr Kumar ended a lengthy alliance with the BJP two years ago in a split replete with acrimony and recriminations, and is running for a third term in Bihar against his former partner. For him, Mr Patel is an enemy's emerging enemy - fertile ground for the seeds of a new friendship.
Mr Patel is the son of a BJP leader in Gujarat. His brief detention after his rally on Tuesday triggered violence in different parts of the state. The Commerce graduate likes to describe himself as a social activist but his campaign is entrenched in politics. If Gujarat doesn't cede to his demands, he said, the ruling BJP, for decades the party of choice of the powerful and affluent Patels, will find itself in trouble.
At his rally yesterday which brought Ahmedabad to a standstill, Mr Patel praised both the Bihar Chief Minister and another BJP stress point, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The young Patel leader said Mr Kejirwal and his young Aam Aadmi Party had, in the Delhi state election, demonstrated how to effectively sideline the mammoth BJP. A learning, Mr Patel said, that he was studying for Gujarat.
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben has rejected the Patels' call to be added to the list of castes that benefit from reservation castes. She said the state has already hit the 50 per cent cap ordered by the Supreme Court for quotas, and has appealed to Gujarat to remain calm for now.