Hardik Patel Meets Mamata Banerjee, Calls Her 'Lady Gandhi'

New Delhi: Patidar agitation leader Hardik Patel met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on in Kolkata on Friday and promised to campaign for her during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Patel said after the meeting, “I will definitely come here to campaign during the Lok Sabha elections in 2019... But we all have to be united to fight those who are trying to divide the country."

The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader later tweeted: “Simplicity is personified by Mamata Banerjee.” He even referred to Banerjee as ‘Lady Gandhi’.

According to some reports, Patel later claimed that the Trinamool Congress supremo has invited him to join her party and manage its affairs in Gujarat.

"At the moment, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress are the two big opposition parties in the country. But, if didi (as Banerjee is lovingly called) or the Congress and other parties sit together and decide something, that will be good.

"But if you ask my personal opinion, I will say she is an intelligent woman who has a history of being a revolutionary leader and she should come forward to be the leader (of opposition parties)," he said after the hour-and-half long meeting.

"But for those who are against her, it will be a matter of tension."

He described the chief minister as "lady Gandhi". "I saw lady Gandhi. She is a simple and selfless person. After Indira Gandhi, she has been the epitome of struggle for the cause of the people," he said.

Patel said he invited Banerjee to visit Gujarat for women empowerment. "She had done a great work during the earthquake in Bhuj 2001."

Asked about the purpose of the meeting, Patel said he was here to seek blessings of Banerjee. "I have not come for any political reasons," he said.

"She has openly told me that whenever I want to join politics the door of TMC is open for me and you can manage the party in Gujarat. But I told her I do not have political aspiration now. But if I decide to join politics, I would definitely seek her advice," Patel said.

Enquired about his role during the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the Patidar quota agitation leader said he would definitely come to West Bengal to campaign for the TMC.

"There are so many Gujaratis and people from the Kurmi community in West Bengal. Didi has sent a recommendation to include the Kurmi community in schedule tribe but not in the OBC...

He said he did not see anything wrong as "spread by the oppositions about Kolkata".

"The picture is absolutely different from what I have heard. I have seen people are so happy here," he claimed. On her part, Banerjee described Patel as "like my younger brother".

"He is very good and sensitive. He is fighting for the people of Gujarat...I have asked him to join politics and work for the good of the common man," she said.

(With PTI inputs)