Senior politicians Shankarsinh Vaghela on Friday resigned from Congress after claiming that he had been "thrown out" of the party "24 hours ago". His resignation has brought to the fore a rift within the Congress party ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections later this year and election for three Rajya Sabha seats on August 8.
At his 77th birthday celebration at the Gandhinagar Town Hall, Vaghela had said: "My party has shown me the door. I share my name with Lord Shankar. I will also digest poison. I am 77 not out. I am not quitting. Revolt is in my blood. I don't care what loss I have to bear. I cannot see injustice happening."
Praising the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Vaghela said: "After working for sevadal in the '60s, I came in contact with RSS people. They were very good. They taught me how public life should be."
Vaghela added that he would not join any political party. He also said that he had promised Congress President Sonia Gandhi that "I will not break her trust by joining BJP." Vaghela had gone to Delhi earlier this week to meet Sonia over differences between him and the party leadership in Gujarat.
However, Congress national spokesperson RS Surjewala denied Vaghela's claim that he was "expelled". Surjewala was quoted by ANI as saying: "No action was taken against Shankersingh Vaghela ji nor was he expelled.These are baseless arguments.Its his decision. Vaghela ji wanted to replace the current Gujarat Congress chief. A party is always bigger than individuals."
Vaghela had quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) almost two decades ago and floated his own Rashtriya Janata Party (RJP), which later merged with Congress. He also served as the chief minister of Gujarat from 1996-1997. He enjoys political influence and is capable of making a difference in at least a dozen seats in the state assembly in his own right.
Rift over cross-voting
There has been a rift between Vaghela and a few Congress leaders in Gujarat and at the national level for about a year now. In the recently-concluded presidential polls, around 11 Congress MLAs voted for NDA's candidate Ram Nath Kovind despite the party choosing to back Meira Kumar for the post.
The Congress held Vaghela responsible for its MLAs voting for Kovind instead of Kumar and asked its 56 lawmakers in Gujarat to stay away from the senior Congress leader's birthday celebrations. Vaghela, in response, said on Friday: "The party has full authority to advice workers, but workers are not the party's bonded labourers, they are free to decide what they want."
Vaghela eyeing Gujarat CM post?
Vaghela has previously lashed out at the Congress high command for not moving in the right direction and ignoring his suggestions on the upcoming assembly elections. There were also reports of differences between Vaghela and Gujarat's Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki.
"My problem with the party is they have done no planning to win Gujarat elections when we know that it (elections) won't be delayed for even a month. Owners lack the foresight. They do not know what is going to happen tomorrow," the 'sacked' leader had said.
Vaghela wanted Solanki to be removed as the president of the Congress in Gujarat but the high command did not agree. There were also reports that he wanted the party to project him as the chief ministerial candidate for the assembly elections scheduled to be held later this year.
According to him, if he was projected as the chief ministerial face of the Congress, the party would be able to take on the Narendra Modi-led BJP in the assembly polls later this year.
On June 24, Vaghela had said that he would not follow the Congress if it continued on its "suicidal path" in Gujarat, which will soon witness assembly elections.
