Months after the Congress party appeared to be finding its feet with a new Gujarat unit president and an AICC in-charge, at least two spokespersons on Thursday raised critical issues about the party’s ranks being given a short shrift in political action ahead of the December 2022 assembly elections.
Coming a day before the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee inaugurates six Indira Gandhi ICU-on-Wheels and Indira Gandhi Mobile Clinic vans, spokespersons Jayrajsinh Parmar and Manhar Patel have expressed resentment that the Congress party does not think beyond the incumbent and former MLAs and MPs while entrusting key party responsibilities.
The immediate trigger for strongly-worded tweets by Parmar and Patel is the constitution of a fact-finding team to investigate issues of safety of workers working in hazardous industrial zones in Ahmedabad and South Gujarat and chemical pollution by factories in the region.
Speaking to Vibes of India, Jayrajsinh Parmar wondered that not a single person from the party organization has found a place in this. He asserted, “A place in such a committee for anyone in an opposition party is no power position, but it is about recognizing senior persons in the organization who are aware of issues. Those of us who would travel to South Gujarat would be spending from our own resources.”
“It is the party organization – the rank and file – which works for the victory of our candidates and not just the elected representatives. This fact-finding committee is just one instance. This is a common trend where only the MLAs and MPs get work. The party organization doesn’t feel involved at all,” Parmar said.
He tweeted in Gujarati: “The Congress party has always remained MLAs/MPs centric; those in the party’s organization never get their place. How could we then expect the organization to play a vital role?”
The 10-member fact-finding committee constituted on Thursday includes, former GPCC chief Arjun Modhwadia (convenor), Amit Chavda (MLA and former State president), Paresh Dhanani (MLA and ex-Leader of Opposition), Punjabhai Vansh (MLA), Vikram Maadam (MLA), CJ Chawda (MLA), Anant Patel (MLA), Jignesh Mevani (MLA), Rajya Sabha member Amiben Yagnik and former MP Prabhaben Taviad.
When contacted, Gujarat Congress President Jagdish Thakor told Vibes of India, “First thing, taking to social media like this without discussing anything within the party forum is not good for the party and for matured leaders like them. Secondly, I don’t know what triggered this reaction.”
When told about this fact-finding committee, Thakor said, “Did Jayrajbhai or Manharbhai come and discuss with me? We are going to involve experts from civil society organizations in this committee, why should we have a problem in having dedicated partymen in it? In fact, we are involving district-level leaders of the respective districts which face industrial pollution.”
However, in response to Parmar, Manhar Patel tweeted his apprehensions about the future of the party in such a scenario. “I am afraid if the true grassroots Congress warriors could clam up bang during the elections when they are needed the most,” he tweeted.
Patel went on to give another instance of his Botad district, where the nominations of all Congress candidates for the February 2021 panchayat elections were rejected because of issues with the party’s mandate to contest the polls.
He asked, “All (nomination) forms were rejected for the Botad district panchayat elections. Who is responsible for this faux pas? Despite this, there was no serious discussion in the party, no introspection, nothing. I have even drawn the attention of the State president (Jagdish Thakor) and (Gujarat affairs) in-charge (Raghu Sharma) in writing.”
When contacted, Patel concurred with Parmar’s views and asserted, “I believe when every seat is crucial, the elected representatives could be asked to channelize their energies on consolidating their constituencies and such party leaders from the organization should be deployed in fact-finding committees with a knowledge of the subject.”
Asked about Botad, he wondered, “Isn’t it surprising that all Congress candidates lost the district panchayat elections before the first vote was cast? This was not the first time that party mandates were given for elections. We won the majority of district panchayats in December 2015.”
Manhar Patel was not wrong. He referred only to Botad, but reliable party sources told Vibes of India that at least 400 Congress members lost the local body elections much before the polling to six municipal corporations, 31 district panchayats, 231 taluka (tehsil) panchayats and 81 municipalities (semi-urban local bodies) in February. Some withdrew their nominations at the eleventh hour, some did not get the mandates until the last moment and many more nominations were rejected.
