Patel community protesters, demanding the release of Hardik Patel from jail, clashed with the police in Mehsana. (PTI Photo)
With fresh violence over the demand for reservation for the Patidars, the Anandiben Patel government in Gujarat is making desperate efforts to find a solution. But, despite talks with some Patel groups, the government has made little headway because the main demand of the protestors is the release of their 23-year-old leader Hardik Patel, who has been in jail on sedition charges since October.
On Monday, officials held a meeting with about a dozen prominent Patel leaders who it claimed were mediating between the government and two major agitating groups - the Patel Anamat Andolan Samiti and the Sardar Patel Group. But, the two hour long discussions ended in a deadlock. The government though claiming, the talks were "positive."
Sources said that the sticking point remained dropping sedition charges against Mr Patel and his associates. "First and foremost, Hardik and other leaders of SPG and PAAS should be released from jail, cases dropped against them and then an inquiry against policemen who indulged in excesses," said M G Kaneria, a Patel leader who attended the meeting.
The government, battling the political fallout of the agitation, has been trying hard to work out a deal. Patel MP from Porbandar Vithal Radadiya has met Hardik Patel in a Surat jail a few times and discussed the demands, sources said. The government is willing to agree to a bulk of the demands, including economic packages for the Patels, but it faces a legal hurdle in setting the young Patel leader free after it slapped sedition charges on him.
"We have to see how we can move forward within the constitutional and legal framework on some of the demands. We will be holding consultations with the chief minister as well," government spokesperson Nitin Patel said after the meeting.
On Sunday, the Mehsana Police booked another prominent leader, Lalji Patel, for inciting violence.