Gujarat BJP rebels, who met at former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel’s house on Thursday, said they could even join the Congress to defeat Narendra Modi. Making light of the developments, Arun Jaitley, the BJP General Secretary in charge of Gujarat, said: “Such statements are not worth responding to. Our preparations for the Gujarat polls are going on, under the leadership of Narendra Modi and the BJP will win the elections.” But the BJP rebels are keeping the revolt alive. “All options are open. We are not averse to any idea. We can even join the Congress to make sure Modi is defeated,” suspended BJP MLA Gordanbhai Zadafia said. “We are keeping all our options open. Though it’s early for us say anything,” said Rajkot MP Vallabhai Katheria. The meeting at Keshubhai Patel’s house was also attended by former Chief Minister Suresh Mehta, another prominent Modi critic. The BJP central leadership believes the rebels have painted themselves into a corner since Congress cannot afford to accept most of them. For instance, Zadafia was Minister of State for Home during the 2002 Gujarat riots and his entry will affect Congress’s image. And the rebels standing alone cannot influence the electoral outcome substantially. The Patel community, whom the rebels are counting on as their social base, would not leave the BJP without seeing something better elsewhere. With the Congress also not in a position to welcome them, options for the rebels are limited, feels the BJP leadership. The party is, however, doing some last-minute efforts to mollify Keshubhai, who is graded as a leader of some consequence. “Others cannot have any significant impact,” said a senior leader.
