Another headache for Congress is the firebrand Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, who is playing a hide-and-seek game with the Congress by not committing anything in favor of the party. Mevani has been successful in keeping the national party on tenterhooks, at the same time flirting with the Congress.
The chairman of the Gujarat Congress’ relief committee, Vijay Kella sent his resignation letter to the Gujarat Congress President Bharatsinh Solanki. Kella has extensively worked in relief operations after floods and other calamities in Gujarat on behalf of his party. He feels that Vice-President Rahul Gandhi does not meet all party workers and also does not take them along during visits and tours.
The Congress is facing some tough tasks in Gujarat as the election days near. The local news circles were rife with the reports of an old Congress hand Vijay Kella, associated with the party since 38 years, quitting the Congress over being “ignored” by the party seniors.
Kella is apparently angry due to the importance being given to Dalit, Patidar and Tribal leaders at the cost of dedicated Congress workers who have over decades kept the flag high for the party.
On being asked about his future plans after leaving Congress, he was upfront in sharing that he will be joining the BJP in the next few days. The flight of leaders like Kella to other parties in Gujarat may affect the party’s prospects in the elections.
Individuals are still easy to maintain and placate but Congress also is about to face the daunting task of winning over the Muslims who are also feeling threatened by the proximity of Congress with other sections. It is being widely discussed within the Congress inner circles the cost the party may have to pay for ignoring the Muslims who, traditionally, had been with the party. Representation of the community in the party candidate list will be crucial for the Congress.
In Surat, Congress youth workers on Wednesday put up posters reflecting the mood of the dejected community. The murmurs of giving the ticket to a non-Muslim for Surat (East) is said to be the main reason behind the posters.
Local Congress leader Firoz Malek, who lost the last election to the BJP candidate, is a strong contender for the seat. However, his ticket is yet not confirmed and this could be a pressure tactic that he and his followers may be adopting to bag the ticket.
Congress had given tickets to six Muslim candidates in Gujarat in 2012 elections and only two could win Gyasuddin Shaikh and Mohammad Javid Pirzada. How it works for the party is yet to be known but it may have a cost to pay for leaving the Muslim hand in this tightly fought elections.
On Thursday, Jignesh Mevani denied having any negotiations with the Congress for fielding joint candidates in the Gujarat Assembly elections and hinted at the possibility of fielding his own candidates to challenge the BJP nominees across the state.
“We are not in talks with the Congress party to field our leaders on their symbol. There are no such negotiations going on,” is what Jignesh Mevani said to a TV channel. He went on to add: “We want to overthrow the 22 years of BJP rule. But we are not endorsing Congress either. People of Gujarat are smart enough to choose whom to cast their vote. We don’t have to tell them.”
The Congress may have been able to knit a strong web of Patidar-Dalit-Tribals-OBCs, but to hold them together to deliver a decisive mandate would be a much more difficult task than just using them for photos. How Rahul Gandhi and Congress deal with this extremely delicate concoction would be interesting to know.
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