New Delhi: Gujarat's Patidarquota agitation spearhead Hardik Patel has made it clear that he does not consider Congresspresident Rahul Gandhi "my leader" and pitched for the entry of Priyanka Gandhi into active politics.

The PatidarAnamatAndolanSamiti (PAAS) leader also announced that he would not contest next year's LokSabha election, despite attaining the eligibility age of 25 years.

"I like Rahul Gandhi at a personal level, but I do not consider him as a leader because he is not my leader," Patel said at an event in Mumbai.

Patel, who has been agitating for reservation for the Patidar community of Gujarat, had worked closely with the Congress during the Assembly polls held in the state in December last year.

During an interactive session organised by a television channel, Patel went on to add that Rahul Gandhi's sister Priyanka Gandhi should join active politics.

He claimed that if the Congress had supported his movement with "full capacity", the BJP's tally in the Gujarat Assembly polls would have been 60 seats and not 99. The Congress had bagged 77 seats in the 182-member House.

"But it gives me great pleasure to see the full strength of the Congress representatives in the Gujarat Assembly. Now, they (Congress MLAs) are raising the voice of the people of Gujarat confidently," Patel said.

To a query, he said, "No, I am not going to contest the LokSabha election next year against (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi. In fact, I have decided not to contest the election next year, despite the fact that I would be eligible to take a plunge into the electoral battlefield."

Owing to the age limitation, 24-year-old Patel could not contest the Gujarat Assembly election.

"I will be able to contest elections and no one can stop me from doing so. However, I think it is more important to feel the pulse of the people, whom I would represent in the Assembly or Parliament. First, I want to understand everything and most importantly, what the public wants and deserves," he said.