Patidar young leader Hardik Patel on Wednesday broke his 19-day fast to end his indefinite hunger strike demanding reservation for his community under OBC quota and loan waiver for Gujarat farmers. Hardik had begun his indefinite hunger strike on August 25 at his residence near Ahmedabad.
Earlier today, Patel had announced that farmers, religious leaders of the community had urged him to end the fast.
Various opposition leaders, including those from the Congress, met Patel during the course of his 19-day protest to extend their support in his agitation.
Several Gujarat Congress MLAs, including Lalit Vasoya and Asha Patel, besides leaders from Patidar community, had yesterday met Hardik and urged him to end the fast.
Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat also met the Patidar leader on Tuesday and urged him to end his indefinite fast.
Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar, after meeting Hardik, said time has come for the Parliament to discuss whether the 50% cap on quota can be relaxed.
“Nowhere in the Constitution, it is written that reservation cannot go beyond 50%. That cap was put by the Supreme Court through a judgment,” said the grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar.
Patel was admitted to a hospital after his health deteriorated Friday, on the 14th day of the fast. After spending two days in a hospital, he returned to his house and continued the hunger strike.
While he had started taking liquids and was administered glucose at the hospital, he has claimed that he has not taken any solid food.
