Row breaks out as 2 Congress members detained over banners against Vadodara BJP candidate

The BJP’s city unit then approached police to probe into the matter. After poring over the CCTV footage of the area, two Youth Congress members were detained.

An intense war of words between the two political parties followed after the detentions.

In an address to the media, BJP city unit president Vijay Shah said, “The incident of banners opposing Ranjan Bhatt came to light in the morning. Since the time that the BJP has won 156 seats in the 2022 assembly elections under CR Paatil, Congress has been frustrated. The police, which swiftly got into action, detained two persons who belonged to Congress, as expected. They have been seen on the CCTV putting up the banners at night. The residents of the society, where these had been put up, had no clue about the banners. The BJP, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, has taken government schemes to the people for their benefit and the Congress has been indulging in such acts for misleading the people of Vadodara.”

The banners reportedly carried Gujarati and Hindi slogans. One of the slogans read: “Modi Tujhse Bair Nahi, Ranjan Teri Khair Nahi (We don’t have a problem with PM Modi, but we will not spare Ranjan Bhatt).”  Another set of banners had the text: “So BJP will impose anyone on us? People of Vadodara are feeling helpless”‘. One banner mentioned: “Why are Gujarat Chief Minister and state BJP president not interested in Vadodara’s development”.

When contacted, Lok Sabha MP Bhatt said police have already caught people who were involved in putting up these banners.

While Shah said that those involved in putting up banners at Vadsar would also be booked, Congress leaders of the Vadodara unit arrived at the Warasiya police station and blamed the BJP for bringing its infighting in the open.

Congress leader Ami Ravat, said, “In a democratic country like India, putting up a banner to oppose an election candidature is not a crime. But the bigger fact is that the Congress does not need to do it from the backdoor or in the dead of the night.”  Rawat, who is also the Vadodara Municipal Corporation opposition leader, further said, “We contested the polls against Narendra Modi in 2014 in Vadodara and we will also contest the polls against Ranjan Bhatt. So, whoever has put up these banners has done so at the behest of some big names from the BJP as the party’s infighting is at its peak” By the time this story went to the press, senior police officials said no formal arrest had been made as questioning was ongoing.  —With PTI