Veteran politician Shankarsinh Vaghela is visibly upset with his son Mahendrasinh Vaghela joining the BJP.
Mahendrasinh, a Congress MLA from Bayad in north Gujarat, had cross-voted in favour of the BJP in last year's Rajya Sabha election and had quit the party later. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, seeking re-election, was locked in a tough contest against the BJP's Balwant Singh Rajput in the Rajya Sabha polls. Patel eventually won.
Mahendrasinh joined the BJP on Saturday in the presence of Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and BJP Gujarat chief Jitu Vaghani in Gandhinagar.
After joining the party, he said he would take up any responsibility given to him by the party and carry it out faithfully.
Shankarsinh Vaghela, who addressed media, said Mahendrasinh should have consulted his supporters before taking the decision to join the saffron party. He later told THE WEEK that he has given his son a week's time to take a final decision. “If his supporters say that he should not join the BJP, then he should resign.”
Mahendrasinh is a seasoned politician and he can decide which party to join, but he should think of his supporters, Shankarsinh Vaghela said, and added that he (Mahendrasinh) should also know if the party he joined would take care of his supporters as well.
Shankarsinh Vaghela had quit the Congress last year, expressing dissatisfaction over the functioning of the party. He, however, had voted in favour of Patel. He had also unsuccessfully supported a newly formed outfit in the 2017 assembly elections.
It is speculated that the BJP might field Mahendrasinh from Sabarkantha where the party's performance has been poor.
Shankarsinh Vaghela further said he was not afraid of the ED or the CBI as certain deals during his tenure as Union textiles minister are under scanner.