Ahmedabad/Bengaluru: Gujarat legislator Shankarsinh Vaghela launched a scathing attack on Congress party and hinted that it shouldn’t bank on his vote during the Rajya Sabha polls after the party issued whip to the maverick politician.
“My vote is secret. Like other MLAs, I got the whip from the Congress party, but it is just a formality. Party members should not be bound by anything. Voting should be free of any whip,” a defiant Vaghela told media, taking on the Congress.
Vaghela, who had so far maintained that his vote was reserved for Patel, striking a different note on a day prior to voting has created fresh ripples in the political arena.
The former chief minister’s exit had already triggered a crisis in the Congress, with the resignation of six MLAs from the party bringing down its strength in the Gujarat Assembly from 57 to 51. Three of the legislators later shifted sides to join BJP.
Congress MLAs return from Karnataka
The 44 Congress MLAs from Gujarat, who were flown to Karnataka to prevent “poaching” by the BJP ahead of Tuesday’s Rajya Sabha elections, returned to the state on Monday, officials said.
“As all of us are united, the BJP cannot threaten any of our MLAs. Horse trading is not possible with those who are with us,” party’s lawmaker Shaktisinh Gohil told reporters outside the airport before leaving for Ahmedabad.
The MLAs were moved to a private resort near Bengaluru on July 29 following the resignation of six Congress legislators.
Of the 57 party legislators in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, the six quit the party on July 26 and three of them joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on July 28. Of the remaining 51 MLAs, seven did not join those who came to Bengaluru.
The 44 MLAs are being lodged at the Nijanand Resort near Anand. Their family members will visit the resort for the Raksha Bandhan festival on Monday. Vaghela and six other MLAs considered close to him were not present there.
On Tuesday, the legislators will directly go to state capital Gandhinagar to vote for the party’s Rajya Sabha nominee Ahmed Patel.
Patel, political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, is seeking a fifth consecutive term.
Vaghela flays Congress over MLAs’ resort stay
The veteran leader also slammed Congress MLAs for flying out at a time when floods were ravaging the state. “Even if they (MLAs) contest in the next elections, will people forget that they had left the state when their services were required the most? Will they be able to win? The party should not have tied up its members in this manner,” he asserted.
In an indirect attack on Patel, who happens to be the political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Vaghela said, “It’s the MLAs who elect leaders to the upper house. Rajya Sabha members should be in regular contact with MLAs. I am glad that this election has shown how even one MLA can be important for the party.”
Vaghela termed the attack on Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in flood-hit Gujarat last week a result of “voters frustration” over desertion by their MLAs. “The attack is condemnable. But it happened because the voters were frustrated over MLAs going missing in this time of crisis,” he said.
Every vote precious in tomorrow’s election
Patel is contesting against three BJP candidates including party chief Amit Shah, Union Minister Smriti Irani and Congress turncoat Balwantsinh Rajput in the Rajya Sabha election. Though the Congress claims to have the support of 44 MLAs, the remaining seven are yet to make their stand clear.
As Vaghela has shown a change in stance at the eleventh hour, the Congress may now have to depend on three votes from other parties, including the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Janata Dal (United).
NCP leader Praful Patel said his party is still undecided on which party to support and that a call on this matter would be taken in consultation with party president Sharad Pawar. The NCP has two MLAs, Kandhal Jadeja and Jayant Patel in the Gujarat Assembly.
