Rebels show strength, rally against Modi

BJP dissidents in Gujarat are determined to do something no one else has managed as yet—dislodge Narendra Modi.

BJP dissidents in Gujarat are determined to do something no one else has managed as yet—dislodge Narendra Modi. On Friday, at a rally attended by Patel and Koli farmers of Saurashtra, dissident leaders, including two sitting MPs and at least a dozen MLAs, pledged to vote for anyone, “including the Congress” to ensure that Modi does not come back to power. Assembly elections in the state are scheduled for December.

Speakers at the dissident rally spat venom on the “Hindu Hriday Samrat” for not being sufficiently pro-Hindu. Somabhai Patel, BJP MP from Surendra Nagar said: “BJP leader Mafatbhai Patel had sought Advani’s intervention to get his wife back from Modi’s clutches. Advani remained silent. Is this the culture of BJP? Or the RSS?”

“Modi is the biggest liar Gujarat has ever seen,” said Rajkot MP Dr Valabh Kataria. Both MPs challenged the BJP to expel them from the party. The rebels compared Advani to Dhritarashtra who sent Modi, the Duryodhana, to Gujarat.

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The Rajkot rally was a display of the continuing defiance of BJP rebels who are patronised by former chief ministers Keshubhai Patel and Suresh Mehta. The rebels are trying to mobilise Patels and Kolis, and have organised 70 small rallies across the state since June 11. Though Keshubhai personally did not attend Friday’s rally, rebels claimed his approval.

Meanwhile, Modi has not been idle in the midst of rebellion. On Saturday, he is to attend a function in Mehsana which is expected to be a demonstration of his control over the party. Modi is set to seek re-election on the plank of good governance, but whether he would be able to manage to hold together groups within the party with conflicting interests is the big question.

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