Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha, who have opposed Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre on several occasions, on Tuesday extended their support to Patidar stir leader Hardik Patel. They met the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader, who is currently on a hunger strike.
Patel has been demanding that farmers’ loan be waived off and reservation be given to Patel community members. He has been fasting for the past 11 days in Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
According to local media, former Union finance minister Yashwant Sinha said that he would spread Hardik Patel’s movement across the country. The veteran BJP leader reportedly said that it was “shameful” for the central and state BJP governments to have not taken the initiative to solve the issues raised by the Patel agitation leader.
Taking to microblogging site Twitter, Hardik Patel shared photographs of his meeting with Shatrughan Sinha and Yashwant Sinha on the eleventh day his indefinite fast.
"The farmers issues raised by Hardik are not confined to Gujarat but are relevant to the whole country. Farmers are in deep distress and the situation requires a permanent solution. I appeal to everyone, including the opposition, to raise the issues of farmers across the country," Yashwant Sinha said.
Shatrughan Sinha also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over claims made by him that Gujarat was a model state. The BJP leader from Bihar said there was nothing like a Gujarat model. "The Gujarat model has failed. Now, you are not going to get bonus (in 2019 elections)," he said.
According to medical reports, Hardik has lost around 20kg ever since he began his fast 11 days ago and his condition continues to deteriorate.
