The media in Gujarat is abuzz with theories of how State Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil is all set to quit. And that he is tired of heading the Congress party and has requested his party’s High Command to relieve him of his duties. There are reports that the party is searching for a new president after Gohil’s request that he does not want to continue.
Vibes of India spoke with two senior Congress leaders in Delhi who have confirmed that there is no such move. ” No, Shaktisinh Gohil has not got in touch with Rahul Gandhi ji or anyone asking to be relieved. He is doing very well and it is for the first time that the Congress party has won a Loksabha seat of Banaskantha under his leadership. There is no question of looking for a new president. And Gohilji has not sought to discontinue”, a senior party leader in daily touch with Rahul Gandhi confirmed to Vibes of India.
“We are very happy with Shaktisinh ji and we are in regular touch with him. We are very confident and want to get super active in Gujarat. And we are very confident that Shaktsinh can deliver. He already has delivered in this Loksabha elections,” the leader added saying that he had not even heard of these rumours of Gohil quitting.
Vibes of India’s senior editor Nandini Oza spoke to Shaktisinh Gohil who also laughed at similar reports circulating in Gujarat. He categorically said he has not asked his party to relieve him. “I am my party’s soldier. I take orders. I don’t ever argue about orders given to me. In the past also, whether it is Delhi, Bihar or Haryana, whenever my party asked me to take up a responsibility of whatever nature; I have. I don’t ever refuse or run away from the task given to me. I have not asked the party to relieve me as the Gujarat Congress president. I have been amused by reports claiming so. Nobody got in touch with me. But because you have let me clarify that I have not placed any such request. I am a soldier and I believe in fighting in my best capability for my party”, he said.
It must be noted that under Gohil’s leadership, the Congress broke its jinx and did not let the BJP win all the 26 Loksabha seats. Geniben Thakor won the Banaskantha seat. Also, the BJP had claimed that they would win all 26 seats in Gujarat with over five lac margin. Except for a couple of seats, the BJP could not achieve it either.
In fact, as a former Gujarat Congress president told Vibes of India, “Things have started looking up for the Congress ever since Shaktibhai has taken over as the Party chief. He does not believe or encourage any groupism. Forget forgiving, he does not even mind when party workers or over-enthusiastic MLAs make mistakes”.
The Congress has been in a super-aggressive mood. They have been demanding justice for their workers who they say have been wrongly arrested by Ahmedabad police when actually it was the BJP goons who attacked their office. Gohil, a lawyer himself, has been looking into the matter. Also, whether it has been the Rajkot gaming zone tragedy or the Harni boat tragedy, the Congress has been aggressively demanding justice for the kith and kin of the victims.
It must be noted that the Congress took a lead and Gohil himself addressed a press conference threatening a state-wide agitation if Gujarat government did not withdraw the 66 per cent fee hike for students aspiring to be doctors just based on their merit. The Gujarat govt increased the fees in GMERS-run colleges from Rs 3.50 lac annually to Rs 5.50 lacs. Today, the Gujarat cabinet under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel was compelled to withdraw the abnormal fee hike. From Rs 5.50 lacs, the Govt has retracted and fixed fees at Rs 3.75 lacs for those with merit. For the rich and without-merit students, the fee hike was 88 per cent. It has now been reduced to Rs 12 lacs from the revised annual fees of Rs 17 lacs.
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