After suffering major setbacks in the form of back-to-back resignations by eight of its MLAs ahead of Rajya Sabha polls to be held on June 19 for four seats, the Gujarat Congress on Friday alleged that state police is trying to frame its senior MLA allegedly in a false case in order to stop him from voting to benefit ruling BJP candidate. BJP has denied the allegations.
State Congress president Amit Chavda said that an FIR was registered in Una, Gir-Somnath district, in connection with a clash between two groups. He said that police summoned its local MLA Punja Vansh twice this month and grilled him for hours despite the FIR not having his name as suspect or describing his role in the clash. The police called him again on June 11 but he requested the police to give him time till the polls are over but the police insisted to appear before it.
"It seems that the police have hatched a plan to arrest Punjabhai Vansh, a popular, honest and Koli community leader, to prevent him from voting. Punjabhai is not any other leader who should be harassed by the police in such a manner. He has been elected by the people six times and serving the public for more than three decades," Chavda said in a press conference while alleging that the BJP is "using every trick to somehow win the polls."
The BJP shot back at Congress to say that the allegations are baseless. Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja said that police had called Punjabhai on 9th June and allowed him to leave after questioning was over. Jadeja also said that the case relates to an attack on his party's ex MLA C K Rathod on May 28 by several anti-social elements. Punjabhai was called by the police in this case and there was no question of police framing him at the instance of the government. He also claimed that Congress MLAs are resigning due to infighting and BJP has nothing to do with it as is being alleged by Congress.
As a matter of fact, for the past three occasions Congress has been witnessing its MLAs resigning with announcement of Rajya Sabha poll dates. This time eight of the MLAs have resigned which has left the Congress on the brink of losing one of the two seats, which the party could have easily won had it kept the MLAs together. Chavda has alleged that MLAs have been bought over by the BJP.
The developments forced the Congress to keep its 65 remaining MLAs in three groups who are staying separately in resorts in south Gujarat, Saurashtra region and some in Rajasthan. For the past couple of days, MLAs in Saurashtra and south Gujarat have started meeting party workers and supporters in the assembly constituencies which were vacated by the party MLAs to benefit BJP candidates.
For four Rajya Sabha seats, Congress has fielded its national spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil and former Gujarat Congress chief and ex union minister Bharatsinh Solanki. While BJP has fielded advocate Abhay Bharadwaj, tribal leader Ramila Bara and Narhari Amin who had switched over to BJP from Congress in 2012.
Congress has 65 MLAs as on Friday and needs four votes or MLAs to win the two seats while BJP has 103 MLAs. The votes of two MLAs from Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), one MLA of National Congress Party and one independent MLA Jignesh Mevani are crucial. Congress is assured of getting Mevani's vote but there is still uncertainty if BTP and NCP will support it.