Hardik Patel Arrives In Udaipur, To Leave For Mandsaur Today

Patidar quota stir leader Hardik Patel arrived in Udaipur on Monday and said that he would leave for Mandsaur, the epicentre of the farmers' stir in Madhya Pradesh, with his supporters on Tuesday.

He arrived in Udaipur from Gujarat by road to attend a private function.

Gehrilal Dangi, the district president of Patel Navnirman Sena had yesterday said Hardik Patel has plans to leave for Mandsaur, but it is uncertain whether the administration allows him to do so.

He said the Patidar community in Gujarat and Rajasthan stands in support of the Madhya Pradesh farmers.

Asked about his plan to go to Mandsaur, Mr Patel said he will go there today.

"I will do my work and police and administration will do their job," he told reporters when asked what if the police will prevent him from going to Mandsaur.

Hardik, who had spent six months of exile in Udaipur after a Gujarat High Court order, had returned to his hometown in January this year. He was staying at a former Congress MLA's house during this period

He was released from jail in Gujarat after nine months in confinement in July last year.

The Mandsaur-Neemuch region, about 300 km from Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal, became the nerve centre of the storm of farmer distress, as protests over low prices for crops and heavy farm debts started on June 1 and snowballed into a widespread agitation.

In Mandsaur, curfew was imposed after the five farmers were killed in two incidents of police firing during the protest on June 6.