This is an archive article published on May 9, 2025
BJP suspends VMC corporator Ashish Joshi, days after mothers of Harni boat tragedy victims questioned CM at Vadodara event
Ashish Joshi has been supporting the victims of the Harni boat tragedy by raising the issue on the floor of Vadodara Municipal Corporation since the day of the accident.
The Bharatiya Janata Party Thursday suspended Ashish Joshi, a Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) corporator from Ward 15, from the party for “damaging image of the party”. Joshi’s suspension came after the mothers of two students killed in the Harni boat capsize were allegedly detained by the Vadodara police for interrupting Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel during his speech at an event in the city on May 2.
Joshi has been supporting the victims of the Harni boat tragedy by raising the issue on the floor of VMC since the day of the accident on January 18, 2024. He is the corporator of the VMC ward where the New Sunrise School is located, and from where most of the deceased studied.
On Thursday, in a letter to Joshi, the BJP said it had taken the step to suspend him, considering the “repeated reminders to mend ways” had gone unheeded. The suspension letter, signed by BJP Vadodara unit chief Jayprakash Soni, states, “Time and again, you have been reminded to maintain discipline in writing as well as through verbal communication… On several occasions, your behaviour and conduct have damaged the image of the party. You were also served a show-cause notice in this regard, but no improvement has been seen in your conduct.”
“It has come to our notice that you have joined in damaging the image of the party in several instances… The same has been proven adequately by way of social media posts as well as newspaper reports… Considering these factors, as per the directions of the State party President, you are suspended from the party’s active and primary membership.”
The suspension comes two days after Joshi said in an interview on a social media channel regarding the two mothers questioning CM Patel, and spoke about justice being denied to the families due to the delay in adding officials of VMC as accused in the case.
In March this year, days after Soni was appointed as the city unit president, the BJP issued a show cause notice to Joshi to “explain repeated indiscipline”, just two days after Joshi got into a bitter argument with the then municipal commissioner Dilip Rana in the General Board meeting of the civic body over the cleaning of stormwater drains in his ward. In February, Joshi left the BJP embarrassed during the annual budget sessions when he “voted against” the party’s whip on a question related to the compensation for victims of the Harni boat tragedy.
Based on a proposal before the Congress party as part of its budget recommendations, VMC held a vote to decide whether the civic body should award the families of 14 victims of the Harni tragedy a compensation of Rs 25 lakh. While all other BJP corporators voted against the suggestion, Joshi, along with seven Congress corporators, voted in favour.
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Joshi has been supporting the families of the 14 victims, including 12 students and two school teachers who were killed in the boat capsize. He has been demanding exemplary compensation from VMC for the victims of the Harni boat tragedy, and also forged a bond Raksha Bandhan last year when the mothers of deceased students Roshni Shinde and Alishba Kothari tied rakhis on his wrist.
Joshi, who is the corporator of the VMC ward where the New Sunrise School is located and from where most of the deceased belong, publicly said following the tragedy he “felt guilty being part of the system” that could “not provide a safe picnic spot to the innocent”. A first-time corporator, Joshi said VMC officials, who should have been responsible for checking the fitness certificate of the boats and other safety measures, should be suspended.
Joshi has vowed not to visit the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya until those responsible for the boat capsize are brought to justice.
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.
Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).
Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More
