After Indranil Rajyaguru Resigns, 17 of 34 Congress Councillors in Rajkot Threaten to Quit

Ahmedabad: All, it seems, is not well with the Congress party in Gujarat.

Ever since Congress president Rahul Gandhi announced that the organisational set up in the state will be revamped and younger leaders will be given more responsibilities, there have been voices of disgruntlement from those leaders who have been at the helm of affairs in the party for long. However, over the past one week, protests against the state party leadership have grown shriller by the day.

On Tuesday, a group of Youth Congress workers disrupted a media briefing of state party president Amit Chavda at the GPCC headquarters, demanding why Shashikant Patel was named Ahmedabad City Congress chief while ignoring the candidature of City Youth Congress chief Nirav Baxi for the post.

At around the same time, in Rajkot, 17 of the 34 Congress councillors threatened to quit as the GPCC had issued showcause notices to them.

Speaking to News18, Vashram Sagathia, Leader of Opposition in the BJP-ruled Rajkot Municipal Corporation said, “The GPCC has failed to announce the name of the next leader of opposition in the municipal corporation. Twenty councillors have been issued showcause notices just because we have forwarded names of six councillors of which one has to be appointed the next leader of opposition. How does this amount to indiscipline?”

He further added that another major reason why he and 16 other councillors have threatened to quit the party is because the party has chosen not to address the concerns raised by Indranil Rajyaguru.

Rajyaguru quit the party on Monday evening alleging that those persons who had worked against Congress candidates in the Assembly elections continued to enjoy positions in the Congress party.

GPCC spokesperson Dr Manish Doshi admitted that the incidents on Tuesday, coupled with those over the past week, can cause damage to the party. He however added that all the appointments being made are in line with party president Rahul Gandhi’s announcement that youth and committed workers will be given more responsibilities in the party.

“Whether it is the appointment of the GPCC chief or the Leader of Opposition, the AICC secretary in charge of the state, young enthusiastic leaders are being given responsibilities in the party. Whatever concerns some workers or leaders might have will be addressed in the party forum,” he said.