A midnight meeting between the Congress and the Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) remained inconclusive, even as the organisation members said they have been given three options by the party on how they would provide reservation to the community if voted to power in Gujarat.
PAAS leaders said they would consult their leaders and legal experts before taking a decision.
The Congress has given three options to the PAAS with respect to latter's quota demand for Patidars. Even as both sides refused to divulge details of the formulas presented in the meeting, Patidar outfit said it will not accept quota under the Economically Backward Class (EBC) category.
The options were conveyed to the PAAS members by senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal at the meeting which took place at 11:30 pm and ended at about 2 am.
Hardik Patel, who has been in talks with the Congress leadership, was not present in the meeting.
"We have been given three options by the Congress party on how to provide reservation to our community in educational institutions and government jobs," PAAS convener Dinesh Bambhania said after the meeting.
"The options that have been given will be kept confidential till we discuss it with Hardik, social leaders of the community, legal experts and then it would be kept before our community. If the community accepts the demand, we will convey it accordingly to the Congress party," Bambhania said.
He said that the Congress proposal has not touched 49 per cent reservations for SC, ST and OBC which exists in the state.
The options that have been given are over and above it, he said.
He added that the outfit has rejected the Congress' reservation offer under the EBC as it is “not constitutionally valid.”
The PAAS leader said the meeting took place in a "very cordial atmosphere".
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Sibal said the meeting between Congress leaders and PAAS has brought hope that something can be worked out."
"We have discussed all the aspects and will do all the things (to provide reservation to the Patidar community) as per the constitution," the former Union Minister said.
He said they would again meet in the next two-three days.
"We expect that the matter will become clear in two to three days," he added.
The PAAS members met Sibal to discuss modalities of providing reservation to Patidars if voted to power in the upcoming Assembly polls in Gujarat.
The meeting was scheduled at 9 pm but Sibal reached the venue late.
Hardik, the Patidar quota agitation spearhead, who had earlier set a condition that he would support the Congress in the Assembly election, due next month, only if the party committed itself to allotting reservation in education and government jobs to his community, was not present in the meeting.
He had set November 7 as the deadline for the Congress to make its stand clear on the issue.
The polling for the two-phase elections in the state will take place on December 9 and 14 and votes will be counted on December 18.
(With PTI inputs)
