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The 24-year-old leader of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, Hardik Patel, woke up on 13 November to news that a video, purportedly showing him having sex, had gone viral.
The Quint could not independently verify the authenticity of the video, which comes ahead of the keenly contested Gujarat Assembly polls. The origin of the video is unclear.
While speaking to the media in Gandhinagar on 13 November, Hardik said: “I will have a family and children too one day. The BJP has begun the election campaign with dirty politics.”
He tweeted: “dirty politics has started. I do not care if my name gets maligned but the image of Gujarati women is getting tarnished.”
His aide Jignesh Mevani, also tweeted in solidarity, stating that nobody had the right to breach his privacy.
Interestingly, Hardik had claimed a few days ago that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could try to defame him with a sex tape in order to weaken the PAAS movement.
Late on 13 November, PAAS leader Ashwin Patel called for a press conference in Ahmedabad where he gave Hardik a four-day ultimatum to prove his innocence.
Ashwin claimed that he has proof that PAAS leaders across the state have engaged in sexual misdemeanors. He claims to have an audio recording of a Patidar woman who was well-known in the inner circles of the PAAS movement. She has named prominent members of the group alleging them of sexual harassment, he said.
“Hardik has four days to prove his innocence and during this time he can take legal recourse as well. However, after four days if Hardik does not prove his innocence, I will release the evidence I have collected against other PAAS leaders who have been accused of sexual misdemeanor,” he added.
In 2015, a video – allegedly showed Hardik with a woman right after he had launched a massive rally in Ahmedabad demanding reservation for Patels – went viral.
(This story has been updated.)
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