Former Patidar quota agitation leader Alpesh Kathiriya on Sunday joined the Aam Aadmi Party in the presence of the party’s national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. This was during a public gathering in Bhavnagar district. Kathiriya was part of the 2015 agitation for reservation to the community in Gujarat.
On this occasion, Kathiriya said, “All of us will have to come forward in this struggle for the community, for our pride, for the nation, for better education, health and corruption-free good governance. Your support is required. The greater the struggle, the bigger the victory.”
Kathiriya joined AAP along with his friend and PAAS co-convener Dharmik Malaviya and other members of the organisation. Koli community leader Raju Solanki and his son Brajraj Solanki also joined the party. Kathiriya said all of them feel that the AAP will provide them the right forum to work for the cause of nation-building through social work.
On this occasion, Kejriwal said, “Alpesh and Dharmik are youth leaders and the future of India is in the hands of the youth. Both are struggling leaders who have fought long battles for the rights of the youth and have also gone to jail. I welcome them.”
Kathiriya is a convener of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) that was involved in state-wide agitation demanding Other Backward Class (OBC) status and reservation in government jobs to the youth from the Patidar community. He was earlier associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
