Veteran Congress Leaders and Leader of Opposition of Gujarat Shankersinh Vaghela announced his exit from the party in a major and embarrassing blow to the Congress party with just months to go for the Gujarat Election 2017 and weeks ahead for elections to the Rajya Sabha on Friday. While the BJP issued a statement conveying wishes to Vaghela from Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and state party chief Jitu Vaghani sensing some blood. However, the Congress has denied expelling Vaghela or taking any disciplinary action against him. Congress also hopes in their wild dream that the former Chief Minister will keep working for the party.
“Neither has Congress party taken any disciplinary action against him nor has he been expelled from the party. Both these facts are entirely incorrect. Vaghela wanted that the present PCC President should be replaced and he is appointed in his place.
“This is a decision of the party and its leadership and no one individual can decide it as the party is bigger than individuals,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a statement.
“The ideals and interests of the party are always bigger than the ambition of any individual and it needs to be understood by each of the party members. Despite his decision to quit the party post, we are hoping that he will keep working for Gujarat Congress” Surjewala added.
Surjewala said the Congress is not representative of individuals but ideology and principles. He also said that party’s vice president Rahul Gandhi, president Sonia Gandhi and party workers are not fighting for any power but they are actually fighting for progress, justice and “a just humane society against the autocracy of a few”.
Surjewala said the party respects the Gujarat leader. “Congress party has always given him respect and important positions of responsibility. Vaghela was appointed as union cabinet minister, Leader of Opposition, union cabinet minister, and PCC president,” he added.
On Friday, Vaghela said the party high command had expelled him but stressed he was not going to join the BJP. Vaghela had said that he will quit as MLA after the polls of Rajya Sabha on August 8 and resign from the post of Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Vidhansabha. He also he was shown the door by the party because he was was a victim of the intra-party conspiracy.
