New Delhi: After Maratha community has been given reservation, Patidar OBC quota stir leader Hardik Patel has put the ball in the court of the opposition Congress to introduce a private member’s bill seeking reservations in the Gujarat Assembly.

Leader of opposition, Paresh Dhanani, had declared that the Congress had twice tabled a bill for the same and that it was now up to the BJP government to initiate a discussion on the issue.

Firebrand leader Patel, whose outfit Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti had supported the Congress in the last two elections, has been pressuring legislators to clear the bill in the assembly during the next budget session in February-March, just ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. This time, he is armed with a valid point.

“If the BJP in Maharashtra can grant reservations to Marathas through a bill, why can’t the same can be done by the same party in Gujarat? And like the Shiv Sena and the NCP supported the bill in Maharashtra, the BJP and Congress too should support each other over a similar bill for Gujarat,” Patel said.

“The Congress had first tabled a private member bill in February 2016 which was rejected. It tabled a similar bill in March 2018 again. Now there should be a discussion on it, in either a special session or the next budget session,” said opposition leader Dhanani.

Both Dhanani and Patel said Gujarat should follow the example of the Maharashtra bill, which was based on a survey of non-reserved classes conducted by a backward class commission. Both the leaders also maintained that not just the Patidars, but all non-reserved communities should be included in the same.