Hardik Patel's unrestrained statements reflect his character: Raghu Sharma

Senior Congress leader Raghu Sharma on Wednesday targeted former Gujarat party leader Hardik Patel, saying his unrestrained statements after quitting the party show his character. Of late, he has been praising the BJPs decision-making capacity and functioning while severely criticising the Congress leadership.Hitting out at Patel, Sharma said, Politics is not a business.

Senior Congress leader Raghu Sharma on Wednesday targeted former Gujarat party leader Hardik Patel, saying his unrestrained statements after quitting the party show his character. Patel (28) will join the BJP on June 2, months ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections. He had in 2015 led a violent agitation seeking quota for his Patidar community and was a strong critic of the BJP in the past.

He had joined the Congress in 2019 and was later made the state unit's working president. Of late, he has been praising the BJP's decision-making capacity and functioning while severely criticising the Congress leadership.

Hitting out at Patel, Sharma said, ''Politics is not a business. It is a path of dedication. He is giving unrestrained statements against me and party leader Rahul Gandhi after leaving the party. This reflects his character.'' Sharma, who is the incharge for Gujarat affairs at the AICC, questioned Patel's decision of joining the BJP and ''withdrawal of cases'' lodged against him during the Patidar agitation in Gujarat.

''The Congress had made Patel a star campaigner during the Assembly polls to five states. He was criticising Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and the BJP. What has changed suddenly that you started cursing Rahul Gandhi. This is his nature,'' Sharma said. After quitting the Congress on May 18, Patel had blamed the party's senior leadership for its lack of seriousness about the issues. He had also named Raghu Sharma in an interview that he had once said that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had ruined everything and the Congress will not get even 15 seats in next state Assembly elections.

To this, Sharma said, ''Now, he is making statements about me. How to believe such a person? He is not such a big leader that I would be talking about Rajasthan. In the last six months, I have hardly met him twice or thrice.'' Sharma said the Congress and its leaders gave Patel so much space and honour in the party but he did not take a minute to quit. Leaving the party was just like changing clothes for him, Sharma said.