Hardik alleges PAAS leaders kept under house arrest

RAJKOT: The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) has threatened to stage protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Saurashtra visit on Tuesday if its members are not allowed to submit him a memorandum of their demands. Modi is scheduled to inaugurate Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation Yojna (SAUNI) at Dhrol taluka in Jamnagar district on Tuesday.

However, after PAAS's plan to stage protests, police have upped security and put all Saurashtra Patidar leaders under 'watch'.

"We have sought permission from the authorities concerned to submit our memorandum to PM and also mentioned in our letter that if denied we will reach the venue to submit the memorandum regarding Patidar quota demand and atrocities committed against Patidar youths last year," said Lalit Vasoya, PAAS's convener, Saurashtra region.

Vasoya said that they have not received any response from authority.

"Two policemen had come to my house and remain with me constantly. PAAS leaders in Saurashtra have been put under 'watch' by police," Vasoya alleged.

"PM never said anything about the atrocities committed on Patels during our agitation last year. We want to seek clarification from Modi on his silence. Through our memorandum, we also want to raise the issue of inaction by state government in punishing police officers involved in thrashing and killing Patels," said PAAS's Rajkot city convener Hemang Patel.

PAAS wants to raise several demands through their memorandum, including the key demand of granting reservation to Patidar community in government jobs and education under OBC quota.

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