With a view to energizing party workers ahead of the Assembly polls later this year, the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) felicitated 43 MlAs who voted for their senior leader Ahmed Patel in the Rajya Sabha elections held in July at a function in the commercial capital of South Gujarat – Surat.
Though the grand old party’s strength has reduced to 43 in from 57 the Gujarat Assembly following resignation of 14 MlAs, including leader of Opposition Shankersinh Vaghela, from Congress during RS polls, but the Gujarat Congress decided to felicitate its ‘special 43’ by organising ‘Satya Vijay Sammelan’ in all the four regions of the State.
While addressing the function Patel who is also political secretary to AICC president Sonia Gandhi urged the party workers to unite the way 43 MlAs did in order to bring the Congress party back into power.‘‘Victory in RS poll was a small victory. We need to work even harder to win assembly polls. Keep all differences aside and work for the victory irrespective of getting tickets to contest in the upcoming polls,’’ he said adding that he would also like to thank those MlAs who left the party and supported BJP in RS polls. He claimed that still those MlAs were carrying the Congress ideology.
Interestingly Ahmed Patel also wore a cap with a writing it – ‘Jay Sardar, Jay Patidar’ during the function and made it a point to criticise the arrest of pro-quota leader and convener of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) Hardik Patel. Extending his support to Hardik Patel and recently emerged Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, he claimed that both the youngsters were fighting for the injustice to their respective communities.
Gujarat Congress in-charge and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot admired 43 MlAs who, according to him were, lured with lots of temptations but never compromised. Meanwhile Gujarat Congress spokesman Manish Doshi said two Satya Vijay Sammelans have been completed in Bhavnagar and Surat, now the party will organise functions in North and Central Gujarat after the visit of AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi who will address party workers at Ahmedabad on September 4.
