Just a day after Diwali festivities, political heat started soaring in poll-bound Gujarat with the main Opposition Congress party on Saturday invited all anti-BJP elements including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), pro-quota Patidar leader Hardik Patel, emerging OBC as well as Dalit leaders Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani respectively to form a strategic alliance against the saffron brigade in view of the upcoming Assembly elections.
Though Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s political outfit is having cordial relations with BJP, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Bharatsinh Solanki has also sent out an invitation to lone JD (U) MlA and strong tribal leader Chhotu Vasava to join hands with Congress. It was Vasava whose vote had become decisive in the dramatic victory of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel in the keenly contested Rajya Sabha elections in August this year.
‘‘We want to throw out BJP from the State. The march for the Congress’s victory in Gujarat has begun. In order to achieve our objective, we want all the important factors presently to get united against BJP,’’ the Gujarat Congress chief to the media personnel.
Interestingly the grand old party is out of power in Gujarat since 1995. Forget State Assembly, but even in local bodies and thriving co-operative sector of the State Congress marginalised in Gujarat during the 13 years rule of three successive Narendra Modi Governments. As Modi shifted to Delhi post 2014 lok Sabha polls, the Congress leaders in the State are seeing a great opportunity to rejuvenate the party in absence of BJP’s top leader in Gujarat.
Collectively Patidars (Patels), OBC and Dalits collectively forms more than 60 per cent of the Gujarat’s population. Patels and most of the communities coming under OBC category are traditional vote-banks for the ruling BJP. Obviously Congress wants to cash in on ongoing agitation of all the three groups of the societies to make big dent in the BJP vote bank.
Solanki was all praise for the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel calling him a youth leader and went on to say that his part is open to give political platform to the PAAS leader along with his thousands of supporters. ‘‘Patidars are not happy with BJP. We invite the community members to join hands with Congress. We also want other two young leaders Mevani and Thakor to support Congress. The party would come out with fitting solutions of their demand if it would come into power post 2017 assembly polls,’’ he said.