Political blame game continues in Gujarat with over 40 Congress MLAs being packed off to a resort near Bengaluru, even as Raghavji Patel, Congress MLA from Jamnagar (Rural) on Saturday came out in open and said that he would soon join the BJP.
The Congress, which has been out of power in Gujarat for 22 years, is stung by the resignations of six of its MLAs, ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections on August 8. More resignations are likely in the coming days.
Patel said that he had been unhappy with the functioning of the party and would soon join the BJP. “I am waiting for a reply from the BJP,” he said, further adding that in the last six months he had been touring his constituency and conveying people as to why he was planning to join the BJP.
He even claimed that party workers from his area would resign in large numbers.
Shocked by the political crisis, Congress has alleged the BJP and its president Amit Shah is using “money and muscle power” to lure its MLAs. A representation was also made to Central Election Commission in this regard.
The resignations, which forced the party to shift its MLAs to Bengaluru, is faced with a scenario where it may fall short of the numbers required for Ahmed Patel, political advisor to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, to win the Rajya Sabha elections. Ahmed Patel is seeking a fifth term to the upper house.
After the exit of six MLAs, Congress' strength in the assembly has gone down to 51 from 57 and the party's total seats to 176 from 182. It needs the support of 45 legislators to win the election. The MLAs, who resigned, will not be able to vote.
The BJP has fielded Amit Shah, Union minister Smriti Irani and Balwantsinh Rajput, who recently quit Congress and joined the party. While the saffron party has the required number of strength, things might be difficult for Ahmed Patel.
State Congress Bharatsinh Solanki said that 44 votes were necessary for the victory. He claimed that 40 Congress MLAs, two NCP MLAs, one JD (U) legislator and one more member would vote for Ahmed Patel.
The figure of 40 MLAs quoted by Solanki is strange for the simple reason that till date the Congress has 51 MLAs. It might indicate that the party is anticipating more resignations ahead of the RS elections.
No wonder then that the MLAs have been taken to a Congress-ruled state. The party has claimed that they took them out of Gujarat for their safety and said that they had only two options of Congerss-ruled states—either Karnataka or Punjab. Actually, the MLAs wanted to be together, said Solanki.
The Congress denied that the mobile phones of the MLAs were taken away and said that the legislators volunteered to give their phones, for they felt threatened by the BJP. Solanki also accused the ruling BJP of using government officers to threaten the party MLAs. He even alleged that the six MLAs, who resigned, were lured with tickets.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said that the Congress did not trust its own MLAs and hence they had to be taken to Bengaluru.
In Bengaluru, the Congress MLAs are to visit some temples and the famous Ramnagar where movie Sholay was filmed.
The Congress is also accused of sending their MLAs to Karnataka at a time when North Gujarat faced floods and a large number of people lost their lives. State BJP president Jitubhai Vaghani said it was unfortunate that the Congress was doing such an act at a time when Gujarat was going through crisis.
Solanki, however, claimed that the Congress MLAs were the first ones to go to the affected areas and it was because of the BJP that they had to be sent out of Gujarat.
