Patidar leader Naresh Patel said on Tuesday that Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party ,BJP) And this Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has invited him to join its ranks in Gujarat, saying he will join politics at an appropriate time if his community so demands.
However, the Leuva Patel leader indicated that the topic may hit the headlines later this month. “Many leaders from every community in Gujarat have suggested that I should join politics. But at the moment it is difficult to tell any specific date for this.
However, I dare to say whether I should join politics or not, it may become a matter of discussion after March 20 or by the end of March,” Patel said, adding, “It is my personal wish that every community Get rich and I’ll join in. Politics if it helps me contribute in some way. ,
The statement came amid reports that Patel, the president of Shree Khodaldham Trust (SKT), had recently visited Delhi for political reasons. However, the prominent industrialist of Rajkot rubbished these reports and said that his visit to Delhi was for commercial reasons.
Also, Patel admitted that all three major political parties of Gujarat have invited him to join them. “I have been watching on television for the last two days how Congress and you are inviting me. Earlier BJP had also invited me. I thank all the three parties for showing their readiness to have me as the leader. I also thank the leaders of each party and wish them well,” the SKT leader said while interacting with the media in Rajkot on Tuesday.
The SKT president, however, said that discussions were still on among the Leuva Patel members on the issue and reiterated that he would join politics only if his community asked him to do so. “Four months ago, I had said that if the society (community) wants so then I will join politics and I have given permission to do so. My stand is the same even today. By community I do not mean the people living only in Gujarat but the members of our community are spread all over the world. After forming the committees, people are arguing at length whether Nareshbhai, who created such a big organization, should enter politics or not. Discussions are still going on among the community members on this,” he said.
Patel, who is in the ball bearing manufacturing business, said he was keen to join politics, but added that he would announce his final decision at an “appropriate” time. “I reiterate that if community leaders and eminent persons ask me to join politics, I will definitely abide by their decision at an appropriate time. However, this is not the right time to talk about which party I will attend and how.
Recently, BJP president CR Patil had met Patel at his Rajkot residence, but the Patidar leader dismissed it as a courtesy call and said that no politics was discussed over tea that day.
Patel was among those Patidar leaders who tried to strike a compromise between whom? Hardik Patel And the state government led by Anandiben Patel when Patidar was leading the reservation movement.
SKT, a religious trust set up by Patel, first came into limelight in the 2012 assembly elections, when former chief minister Keshubhai Patel laid the foundation stone of the grand temple of Khodiyar, the patron deity of the Leuva Patel sub-caste group. A village of Patidar community, in Kagvad, about 60 km south of Rajkot. Since then, Patel, 56, has organized and organized the Leuva Patels, who dominate politics in the state’s Saurashtra region, around the temple project.
Khodaldham, as the temple is called, has since hosted Narendra Modiwho was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at that time and her successor was Anandiben Patel. The trust also hosted Vijay Rupani, the successor of senior Congress leader Anandiben. Rahul Gandhi and several Union Ministers.
During the construction of the temple, the state government developed Shaktivan – a garden with medicinal plants and tree species considered sacred – near it and later, handed it over to a trust for care and maintenance.