Gujarat attack: BJP wants Thakor's expulsion from Cong

The BJP Tuesday accused the Congress of instigating violence against migrants in Gujarat and demanded its president Rahul Gandhi expel his party's leader Alpesh Thakor for his "venomous" speeches to incite locals in attacking outsiders.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra claimed that out of the over 300 persons arrested by the Gujarat Police for allegedly targeting migrants more than 30 were Congress workers.

He alleged that the opposition party is conspiring to "burn" the country for political gains ahead of elections.

Thakor is acting at the behest of Gandhi in fomenting violence against people from states like Bihar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader alleged.

When asked why the Congress MLA was not being arrested if he was behind the incidents of violence, Patra said legal opinion is being taken and it may happen.

This should not be seen as political vendetta, the BJP spokesperson said.

"If Rahul Gandhi is really concerned about Bihar, Gujarat... Then we demand that he, the Congress immediately dismiss Alpesh Thakor from the party," Patra said.

Prompt action by the Gujarat government has controlled the situation, he claimed.

Patra claimed that the Congress is resorting to violent tactics for "launching" Gandhi's career and said it will never happen because the opposition leader has no credibility and lacks substance.

He cited the Patidar quota stir in Gujarat before the assembly polls in the state, farmers' unrest in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh last year and the recent Bhima Koregaon violence in Maharashtra among other incidents to accuse the Congress of stoking unrest before elections.

Chaos, conspiracy and spreading confusion are three key attributes of the Congress, Patra claimed, adding that the party when out of power is like fish out of water.

"It will do everything for power," he said.

The BJP also played a video of a purported speech of Thakor in which he is blaming migrants for crime in Gujarat and asking his audience if they are in a mood to fight.

Patra read out a Hindi translation of Thakor's speech in Gujarati.

Targeting Gandhi, the BJP spokesperson said he had handpicked Thakor to fight election and then gave him organisational responsibility for Bihar.

Patra alleged that the attacks on people from Bihar are an outcome of Thakor's conspiracy with Gandhi.