Hardik Patel Renames 'Reverse Dandi Yatra' as 'Ekta Yatra'

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government said it had told the Patel leaders that they must follow "set procedure" to pursue their demand of reservations.

"The meeting was held in a very cordial atmosphere. Earlier they said the meeting should be held with their 144 representatives. But we convinced them that a frank discussion cannot take place in the presence of so many people. Then 15 of their members came," State Health Minister and government spokesperson Nitin Patel said.

"We have listened to all their demands and said another meeting will be called at an appropriate time.

"Regarding the reservation, we told them that they have to approach the state OBC commission as per the set procedure. The commission will carry out survey of community members and then only it can recommend inclusion. They have agreed to approach the commission," Nitin Patel said.

"They have also assured us that they will tone down the agitation as the negotiation process has started," Mr Patel said.

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The Patel community is agitating for the last two months for reservations in government jobs and educational institutes under the OBC quota.

The agitation turned violent after the August 25 rally in Ahmedabad. The violence claimed 10 lives in the state.

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Earlier on Monday, Hardik Patel visited former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel.

"We sought blessings from Keshubhai Patel for the agitation. He said he will support it if it is conducted in a non-violent way. We assured him that it will be non-violent," Hardik said after meeting the veteran leader.