Gujarat Congress’s disgruntled leader Shankersinh Vaghela is all set to hold a convention on his 77th birthday in Gandhinagar on Friday and Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki is all set to make sure it is not a success.
Solanki has given a mandate to party leaders and workers to not to attend this convention at a core committee meeting held at the party headquarters in Paldi, Ahmedabad, on Thursday evening. Solanki also said that the party will take disciplinary actions against those who visit Vaghela’s convention.
A senior Congress leader and member of the party’s core committee said, “Solanki has given us a mandate to not attend Vaghela’s convention and we all gave him an oral assurance of the same. However, this totally depends on the individual and his personal decision. Party’s senior members raised furore against Solanki and said that he has failed to control the worsening situation of the party. They were of the opinion that the party cannot afford to lose a leader like Vaghela, especially before the Assembly polls. With BJP is on the back foot due to public grievance against the saffron party-led present government, Congress had a chance to win these elections.”
Post the core committee meeting, senior Congress leader and former president of the party Siddharth Patel said, “At the convention Vaghela had held on June 24, he had made several intolerable contentions against the party.
We expected that he would not take any harsh actions and all the members of Congress’ coordination committee had appealed to him to be patient. We complement him on his birthday, but the party will not accept any act of rebellion under the guise of a birthday celebration.”
Meanwhile, Vaghela, the leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly, returned from New Delhi on Thursday evening. He was supposed to meet Congress national president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi on his visit. However, sources in the party said that both Congress leaders refused to give him an appointment and he had to return empty-handed. Nonetheless, they also revealed that Vaghela met leaders of NCP and JD (U) in Delhi, which could also be the genesis of a new alliance and a third front in Gujarat ahead of the Assembly polls.
Many Cong MLAs eager to meet & greet Vaghela at his birthday convention
Shankersinh Vaghela’s convention, titled ‘Sam Samvedana Sammelan’, will be held at the Gandhinagar Civil Hospital auditorium on Friday. The organising committee, comprising Vaghela’s supporters, has made all preparations for the birthday celebration-cum-convention and is expecting a turnout of over 10,000 people, including senior Congress leaders. Despite Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki issuing a mandate and barring all Congress leaders from attending Vaghela’s convention, it is believed that around 30 Congress MLAs could meet and greet Vaghela at the event.
Senior Congress MLA from Jamnagar (rural) Raghavji Patel said, “I am not a member of the core committee and am unaware of the mandate passed by the state party president. It is our senior leader’s birthday event and I do not see any wrong in attending the same. I am going to meet Bapu and will give him my compliments at the convention.”
Another senior Congress MLA, who is not from Vaghela’s faction, said, “Solanki’s mandate is unjust as the convention called for by Bapu is not wrong. I am going to attend the same of my own volition and no one can stop me from doing so. I do not comprehend any disciplinary action against those who do attend this convention.”
Mahendrasinh, Vaghela’s son and MLA from Bayad, said, “This is a personal event and should not be seen as a political convention. Bapu has always been with the party and there is nothing wrong if Congress leaders meet him on this day. We welcome all Congress leaders and workers to the convention. It is an open invitation.”
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