Anandiben Patel only puppet, 'mastermind' should go: AAP

Aam Aadmi Party today said the decision of Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel to resign will not change the situation as "one puppet" will be replaced by another, and demanded that the "mastermind" be sacked.

AAP's spokesperson Ashutosh said Patel's offer to resign was the "first big success" of the Gujarat unit of his party.

"In Gujarat, one puppet will be removed and another will be brought in. It is delusional to think that replacement will change the situation in the state, because nothing will change until the mastermind is removed," he told reporters here.

Asked who was the mastermind, he said "everybody knew who the mastermind was."
Growing popularity of AAP in the state forced BJP to sack Anandiben Patel, he said, adding that BJP's unwritten rule of removing leaders who turn 75 was a smokescreen.

This rule does not apply to Union Minister Kalraj Mishra, who is above 75, and 85-year-old Babulal Gaur, former Home Minister of Madhya Pradesh who resigned recently, he said.

"Anandiben Patel has been asked to resign after being blamed for everything that went wrong in the state. But didn't the BJP notice atrocities which were being committed against the dalits and patidars? Action against culprits of (Una) dalit atrocity incident was taken only after Arvind Kejriwal came here from Delhi," he claimed.

Demanding withdrawal of all cases registered during OBC quota agitation against Patidars, he said, "The way cases are being withdrawn suggests that false cases were filed against them. There is no democracy in Gujarat, only dictatorship."