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Keshubhai all set to leave BJP

Special Correspondent

High command indicates efforts to bring round dissidents are over

Rebels appear getting closer to Congress
Keshubhai can make a dent in Saurashtra, but party pins its hopes on Modi

Keshubhai Patel

AHMEDABAD: After nearly five decades of association with the Sangh Parivar, the former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel is all set to part company with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Staying away from the party convention for the first time here on Wednesday, the veteran leader made it clear that he snapped ties with “Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP.” The high command, including Rajnath Singh and L.K. Advani present on the dais, has indicated that the efforts to try to bring round the dissidents are over.

Technically Mr. Patel and other dissident leaders, barring the seven MLAs already suspended, are still in the BJP; it may not take any immediate initiative to throw them out of the party, but they are inching closer to the Congress. During the past few months, since the dissidents openly came out against Mr. Modi with Mr. Patel’s blessings, the Chief Minister made it clear to the high command that either he should be given a free hand to manage the election affairs or it should risk the BJP losing control of its stronghold, Gujarat.

Considering the popular support he still enjoys, particularly among the urban population and youth in rural areas, the high command preferred to stay with Mr. Modi. Though Mr. Patel can make a dent in the BJP stronghold in the Saurashtra region, Mr. Modi, in the party’s calculations, will scrape through with the magic figure of 92 in the 182-member Assembly.

Revolt in the past

The two leaders who built the BJP in the State from scratch were Shankarsinh Vaghela and Mr. Patel. Mr. Vaghela was thrown out of the party after he first revolted against the Patel Ministry in 1995 and then a year later brought down the Suresh Mehta government and himself became Chief Minister with outside Congress support.

Mr. Vaghela later merged his Rashtriya Janata Party with the Congress and is now Textile Minister in the Manmohan Singh Cabinet.

His revolt against Mr. Patel was actually directed against Mr. Modi, then State BJP general secretary, who was allegedly acting as the “super CM.” Mr. Patel was totally under the influence of Mr. Modi, who called the shots in the administration. At that time Mr. Vaghela cautioned Mr. Patel that some day Mr. Modi would cause his political downfall and be instrumental in throwing him out of the party.

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