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Nandini Oza
Nandini Oza

AHMEDABAD

Vaghela threatens to resign before Rajya Sabha election

shankersinh-vaghela-week (File) Shankarsinh Vaghela | Janak Patel

The political scene in Gujarat is heating up with former Congress leader Shankarsinh Vaghela threatening to resign as MLA ahead of Rajya Sabha elections, if Congress in-charge for Gujarat Ashok Ghelot did not withdraw his allegations against him.

On July 25, Ghelot had alleged that Vaghela had resigned from the party under pressure from the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.

Vaghela had resigned from the Congress on his 77th birthday on July 21 after several of his demands, including changing incumbent state party president Bharatsinh Solanki, were not accepted.

The former Congress leader said in Gandhinagar that he had kept his one vote reserved for Ahmed Patel, but if Ghelot did not withdrew his allegations then he would resign as MLA before the Rajya Sabha elections. The election is on August 8. Patel, political advisor to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, is seeking re-election for the fifth time. He filed his nomination papers on Wednesday.

Gujarat sends three RS members. Terms of Patel and two BJP representatives Smriti Irani and Dilip Pandya will end in August. The BJP has still not announced whom would it nominate in the Rajya Sabha.

Vaghela categorically said that it cannot be condoned. "On one hand you have expectations that I vote in favour of the Congress candidate and on the other hand you level baseless allegations."

The former Congress leader dared Ghelot to reopen cases against him and said that he was not afraid of any raids. “I know of CBI but I do not know what ED Ghelot was talking about,” Vaghela said.

He claimed that the CBI did not find anything from his residence in earlier raids and that his dealings were transperant. He warned Ghelot to “keep his tongue” in control, at least publicly.

Alleging that what Ghelot said was as good as character assassination, Vaghela asked him to be a sport like him. “Parties may come and go. Relations remain. Do not try to create a problem in mine and Patel's friendship,” the former chief minister said.

He said on July 25 night that when Patel met him, the former offered that Vaghela file papers for the RS. “However, I told Patel that I had already suggested your name one and a half months ago,” Vaghela said.

As regards changing of the incumbent state Congress president, Vaghela said that there were several state party leaders who wanted him to go and the sentiments were conveyed to the party. According to him, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had also asked him to suggest the names. “I suggested the names. Then I got a message that a decision will not be taken,” Vaghela said, adding that it was then that he conveyed that he would take a decision on July 21.

Replying to a question, Vaghela said that he would not contest the assembly election. When asked about the future course of action, the former Congress leader said that he would tell later. In lighter vein, he said, "There are lot of things to do. I will sit and talk to you (media persons)."

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Topics : #Gujarat

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