Dear Anandiben... Before Leaving Jail, Hardik Patel Writes To State

Ahmedabad: Hardik Patel, the 22-year-old who will leave a Gujarat jail on Friday, has written a philosophical rebuke to the state government which has charged him with sedition for leading a mass agitation against it.

The missive declares "satyamev jayate" (the truth alone prevails) as the touchstone of Mr Patel and includes homilies like "only a goat is offered as sacrifice, not a lion."

Equating his nine months in prison to the period spent in his mother's womb, Mr Patel says he has understood how to "cleanse filthy politics". His jail time has also made him a writer of flourish. In a letter written about four months back, which, like today's, was shared by his lawyer, Mr Patel had urged his mother to think of him as a young soldier killed in war.

Mr Patel was arrested in October last year after he marshalled a huge movement among his community, the Patels or Patidars, demanding affirmative action policies apply to them just as they do to backward and economically deprived castes.

The Patidars, longtime rich and powerful supporters of the ruling BJP in Gujarat, say they are floundering now - the family-owned businesses they held for years have been sidelined, they allege, and they want a share of reserved government jobs and college seats.

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Mr Patel, a skilled orator, drew vast audiences, filling large public parks last year; the Patidar agitation quickly erupted in violence in several towns including Surat and Ahmedabad.

Yesterday, its young leader was given bail in the final of three cases against him. The Gujarat High Court has ruled he must remain outside the state for six months. Sources close to him say he's likely to divide his time between Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, which votes next year.

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