Video of Hardik’s meeting with Congress leaders leaked

Gujarat government accused of snooping by Opposition

After bribery allegations by the Patidar agitation leader Hardik Patel, now the Gujarat government is accused of snooping on the Opposition.

On Tuesday, Congress leader Ashok Gehlot and Mr. Patel charged that the Gujarat administration was keeping them under surveillance, after the police allegedly leaked video footage of Mr. Patel meeting Congress leaders at a hotel in Ahmedabad.

Strategy session

On Monday, Mr. Gehlot and Mr. Patel held a meeting to discuss strategy for the Assembly elections and subsequently, a Patidar delegation also met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who was in the State to address a rally organised by OBC leader Alpesh Thakor, who joined the Congress.

However, within a few hours, local channels started showing footage of the meetings and even claimed that there was a secret meeting between Mr. Patel and Mr. Gandhi, which was denied by the Congress as well as Mr. Patel. “I met Hardik and Jignesh Mevani in a hotel. Now, the Intelligence Bureau and the police are checking the rooms. I want to ask why the Gujarat government is snooping on us. Are Patel and Mevani criminals?” Mr. Gehlot said.

As General Secretary in charge of the Gujarat Congress, Mr. Gehlot has been camping in the State to formulate the poll strategy and hold discussions with party and youth leaders like Mr. Patel, Mr. Mevani and Mr. Thakor, who are fighting a common battle against the ruling party.

Mr. Patel hit out at the administration, accusing it of mounting surveillance on his activities and tracking his movements. “The BJP is expert in snooping and surveillance and in the past, the State government has snooped upon a woman,” he said.

Denying that he met Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Patel, who is spearheading the Patidar quota agitation, said that if and when he met him, he would publicly announce it.

Gujarat Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil also slammed the State government and said the authorities are being “misused for snooping on Opposition party leaders.”