Shankersinh Vaghela tells Ashok Gehlot to retract statement

Veteran politician and former CM Shankersinh Vaghela on Wednesday warned state Congress in-charge Ashok Gehlot and asked him to retract his statements.

Vaghela called a press conference in Gandhinagar where he charged Gehlot with trying to create a split between him and senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel. Vaghela warned the Congress general secretary he would resign as MLA before the Rajya Sabha elections, denting Patel’s chances of getting elected.

Gehlot, on Tuesday, had said Vaghela was keen to be the party’s CM candidate and had been pressurising the high command to change the state party chief. Gehlot also claimed Vaghela had resigned as the BJP was turning on the heat over CBI cases against him. Vaghela quit the Congress last Friday.

Vaghela said, “If Gehlot wishes to become Gujarat CM, he can throw his hat into the ring, but he should spare me such allegations. He should take back his words and apologise to me. If he does not, I will resign as MLA before the Rajya Sabha polls and that could weaken Patel’s chances.”

“Ahmed Patel had come to meet me last night. He said I should fight the Rajya Sabha election, which I refused. I assured him I would vote for him in the Rajya Sabha election as I have not yet resigned as an MLA,” said Vaghela.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Patel, political secretary to party chief Sonia Gandhi, on Wednesday filed his nomination for re-election to the upper house of Parliament from Gujarat. Patel submitted his papers to assembly secretary D  Patel in the presence of state Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki and Gehlot. State Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Jayant Patel, one of the two MLAs of the party in Gujarat, and lone JD(U) MLA Chhotu Vasava were also present on the occasion. 

After filing his nomination, Patel said, “I am confident I will win as we have the support of 51 Congress MLAs, two from NCP and one from JDU.” The Rajya Sabha election is scheduled to be held on August 8.

Minister of state for parliamentary affairs, Pradipsinh Jadeja, said the Congress could not take action against MLAs who cross-voted. He cited a Patna high court order in the Gnanendra Kumar Singh vs Bihar Legislative Assembly case, where the court had ruled that the anti-defection law could not be applied in Rajya Sabha polls.