Gujarat Congress president Hardik Patel resigns from all party posts, says leaders more focussed on chicken sandwiches

He also claimed that senior Congress leaders hated Gujarat. Senior leaders behave in a way that they hate Gujarat and Gujaratis. "How in the world does the Congress expect people of Gujarat to see them as an alternative to lead our state?" he sought to know. "Whenever I went among the youth, I was always asked why I was in the party which constantly insulted Gujaratis, be it those in the business sector, in matters of religion and even in politics. Gujaratis can never forget how the Congress has insulted Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel," the Patidar leader said. He said it is unfortunate that big leaders of the Gujarat Congress are "far away" from issues of the state, and are more focused on ensuring that "chicken sandwiches for leaders coming from Delhi are delivered on time".

Patel, 26, rose to prominence when he led an agitation in 2015 demanding that the Patidar community be given benefits of the quota for backward castes.

His outfit Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, which was at the forefront of the agitation for reservation benefits in government jobs and college admissions, had declared its support to the Congress party in the local body elections in 2015 and Gujarat assembly polls in 2017, giving a tough competition to the BJP. He joined the Congress on March 12, 2019, but did not contest the Lok Sabha election that year due to his conviction in a case.