Last week, when Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expanded his cabinet, the biggest surprise was the elevation of Harsh Sanghavi from Minister of State for Home to Deputy Chief Minister.
While this 40-year-old politician from Surat received a major promotion, there has been buzz in political circles about how original Congressmen who joined the BJP have been sidelined since the expansion.
Except for Arjun Modhwadia and Kunvarji Bavalia, none of the MLAs from the Congress who switched sides made it into the expanded cabinet. The cabinet’s strength has grown from 16 to 25, excluding the Chief Minister.
Former Gujarat Congress president and Porbandar MLA Modhwadia belongs to the Mer community and enjoys significant public backing. In Bavalia’s case, the BJP had little choice but to retain him. He is a Koli leader with strong grassroots support and consistently wins his seat on personal merit.
The grapevine suggests that under RSS pressure, the BJP has chosen to favour longtime party members over recent entrants from the Congress.
The message appears clear: Serve the party, earn your stripes, then expect rewards.
In the past, a similar example was former Deputy Chief Minister Narhari Amin, who waited a few years after joining the BJP before being nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
Moreover, it is an open secret that there has long been internal resentment within the BJP over the inclusion of Congress defectors. On several occasions, turncoats have been prioritised over party loyalists.
With the cabinet reshuffle, Raghavji Patel and Balwantsinh Rajput lost their ministerial posts.
There were also strong rumours that Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor, and C J Chavda, all former Congressmen, might be inducted into the cabinet.
Chavda was a senior Congress figure, while Patel, also a former Congress leader, rose to prominence during the Patidar reservation agitation a decade ago. Patel had several police cases against him (all filed in connection with the agitation) and it is said that he joined the BJP so that he could be cleared of the charges. In fact, now several cases have been withdrawn from the court or the police have filed C summary reports. Thakor, the MLA from Gandhinagar South, is a mass leader known for his social engagement within his community.
Gujarat Congress spokesperson Dr Hiren Banker told Vibes of India that whether there is pressure from the RSS or not is an internal BJP matter. However, he alleged that the complete overhaul of the cabinet signals the government’s failure.
He further claimed that the BJP brings in Congressmen only to end their political careers. As for Modhwadia and Bavalia, Dr Banker said the BJP was compelled to include them due to their strong public support.
Both have not been given key portfolios.
Also Read: Gujarat CM Expands Cabinet, Harsh Sanghavi Deputy Chief Minister https://www.vibesofindia.com/gujarat-cm-expands-cabinet-harsh-sanghavi-deputy-chief-minister/
