One of the tallest leaders of the Gujarat Congress, Shankarsinh Vaghela has resigned from the party, ending speculations about his future course of action. Vaghela was unhappy over the way of functioning of the Congress.
Vaghela's exit has dealt a severe blow to the grand old party that has been out of power for over two decades. Gujarat goes to polls by the end of the year.
Vaghela dropped the bomb shell at a felicitation programme organised on his 77th birthday at the town hall in state capital Gandhinagar.
While announcing his resignation, Vaghela said that he was “freeing the Congress from him”. In fact, he also said that he was freeing himself from the BJP, Congress or any other party. He categorically said that he was not joining any party.
At the programme titled Sam Samvedna Sammelan (sensitivity to all convention), Vaghela said that he would remain with the public. He announced that he was also submitting his resignation as the opposition leader. After the Rajya Sabha elections, he would also resign as an MLA on August 15, 2017.
There was, however, a contradiction in what he announced. At the beginning of his speech, Vaghela had said that the Congress had expelled him 24 hours ago before waiting to know what was he to speak.
In New Delhi, party spokesman Randeep Surjewala clarified that the party had not expelled him. "The decision to leave his party is his (Vaghela's) own. He wanted the incumbent state party president to be removed and he (Vaghela) to be made the president," Surjewala said.
At a core committee meeting held on July 20, the Congress had issued a whip of sorts to its workers and MLAs not to attend Vaghela's programme or they could face action. Vaghela's son Mahendra, also a MLA, described the Congress' whip wrong and asked how they could prevent someone from coming to a programme organised on the occasion of a birthday.
Even as he announced the decision quit the party, he also told his supporters, including MLAs, that they were free to do what they wanted. “I am not with the Congress now. So we will not be able to go to New Delhi to plead your case,” he said.
During his speech, he thanked Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice president Rahul Gandhi and party leader Ahmed Patel for giving time to him. “Patel has always been nice to me,” he said.
However, Vaghela did not specify what angered him. He only said that there were some in the party who thought that the party would win if he was out. “Look, now I am out,” he said, adding that it does not satisfy one's ego.
He alleged that he was victim of "intra-party" conspiracy, may that be the Congress or the BJP.
Interestingly, in his speech that began with with emotions, Vaghela also spoke about his political career and thanked RSS, Jan Sangh and BJP leaders. He said that joining the RSS was his choice, knowing fully well that it was not for any designation.
NCP leader Jayant Patel from Gujarat was quick to react and said that Vaghela was welcome any time.
State BJP president Jitubhai Vaghani described the Congress as a sinking ship and said that the party could not keep a senior leader. The Congress, he said, had lost the opposition status at the Centre and now they would lose it in Gujarat as well.
