New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is a worried man. His cause of worry is an angry senior member of the party’s Gujarat unit.
An upset Shankersinh Vaghela, or Bapu as he is called, has unfollowed Gandhi on Twitter and has also called on BJP chief Amit Shah for a ‘courtesy meet over chai’.
But why is the senior member of the grand old party so upset? Highly placed sources told CNN-News18 that Bapu wants to be the chief ministerial face for Congress in Gujarat. Rahul Gandhi’s preference for a young face has not gone down well with Vaghela, who has threatened to sever all ties with the party.
“Him unfollowing Gandhi and meeting Shah are important developments in this regard. He also didn’t attend the meeting that was called for the Gujarat polls. The next meeting is on June 9 and leaders in Gujarat are anxious over his next move,” said the source.
Vaghela’s supporters have begun a campaign on social media #MakeBapuCM. Vaghela is said to have been upset that the party decided to go without a CM face for the Assembly polls, which are just 7 months away.
“Vaghela objected to this and asked why the party could not do what it did for Amarinder Singh in Punjab,” said the source.
Vaghela’s concerns might be grave, but the central command of the party is dealing with its own set of problems. Desperate to find ground in the state after almost two decades of being out, Congress wants Gujarat elections to be a blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With him away as PM in Delhi, and no strong leadership in the state, sources said Congress feels it can win Gujarat.
But the feeling is subdued by the fact that the party is grappling with its own internal problems. Like elsewhere, the party is having to deal with factionalism. There are some factions that want Vaghela as CM face, but if that happens the party would upset other sections. Gujarat Congress is divided into four camps — the Vaghela camp, state unit chief Bharatsinh Solanki camp, Arjun Modhwadia camp and Shaktisinh Gohil camp.
Irked at Bapu threatening to quit the party if not made the CM face, the Solanki camp is particularly opposed to the idea of him being projected as CM face. The last time this happened with Amarinder Singh and Virbhadra Singh, they say, Rahul Gandhi succumbed to it and made them the CM face in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh respectively. Arguing that Gujarat had a different political environment than the other two states, they have also allegedly told Gandhi that Vaghela cannot be trusted.
Vaghela could also spoil things for Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel, who is fighting the Rajya Sabha polls for the sixth term. Vaghela is believed to have the support of 26 out of 57 Congress leaders. With rebellion rising within the party, the coming few weeks would be crucial for the party.
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