Dissent troubles Congress, BJP
While chief minister Narendra Modi is converting the Gujarat Assembly election into a state-versus-Centre battle, the Congress is depending on the charisma of party chief Sonia Gandhi and its young leader Rahul Gandhi.
But both the parties are facing dissension. Gujarat Congress leader Narhari Amin is turning rebel and is said to be joining the BJP.
Mr Modi, the BJP’s star campaigner, said the Centre is afraid that the BJP’s thrust on development will translate into votes and that is why it is not giving sanction for projects in the state on time.
He is also attacking the Congress for promoting dynasty, encouraging “vote-bank” politics for power and defaming Gujarat through “spreading lies” and issuing wrong advertisements.
Claiming that results of next month’s elections will be “historic”, he said the Congress has only survived on vote-bank politics and it should tell the people of Gujarat what it has done for the country. “The Congress has spent crores of rupees in campaigning which they have earned through scams. But the Congress has failed to understand that Gujaratis can’t be bought,” he said.
In Ahmedabad, Congress workers gheraoed CLP leader Shaktisinh Gohil’s car for more than 15 minutes at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, the Congress office. They sat in front of the office and chanted “Raghupati Ragav Raja Ram”. Supporters of Suraj Mangalkar, who had sought ticket from Asarva, ransacked the party office after learning that he had been denied the ticket. The Congress has given ticket to Rajan Priyadarshi, a retired IPS officer, from Asarva, a seat reserved for SC candidate. Dissidence within the BJP over ticket distribution is leading to some workers joining the Gujarat Parivartan Party of former CM Keshubhai Patel. Kheda district panchayat president Rakesh Rao has quit his post over the decision to give ticket to sitting MLA Devsinh Chauhan.
Mr Rao will contest from Matar on a GPP ticket.
In Petlad, the BJP has given ticket to Dipak Patel. But supporters of Himanshu Patel, who was also seeking a ticket, burnt Dipak’s effigy and demanded a reconsideration of the decision.
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