Vaghela likely to be Congress political advisor: Sources

After Shankarsinh Vaghela announced that he wishes to return to the Congress party, panic has spread in the Gujarat Congress unit with most leaders fearing that Vaghela might yet again work against the party’s interest. If sources are to be believed, Vaghela is likely to get the position of political advisor that fell vacant after the demise of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel.

Ahmedabad: With former Gujarat Chief Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela expressing his willingness to re-join Congress unconditionally ahead of the local government body polls, speculations are rife that he may be given the post of political advisor that fell vacant after the demise of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel. Vaghela had quit Congress in 2017 just before the assembly elections, dashing the party's prospects in the polls.

After Vaghela's announcement, panic has spread in the Gujarat Congress unit, with most leaders fearing that Vaghela might yet again work against the party’s interest.

Vaghela, 80, who currently heads a little-known political outfit called the Praja Shakti Democratic Party (PSDP), issued a statement in which he claimed that many Congress workers and leaders have been urging him to return to the party.

Vaghela deserted Congress and worked actively for the defeat of Ahmed Patel in the Rajya Sabha elections. Having started his political career with Jana Sangh and having connections with BJP and its affiliate organisation RSS, Shankarsinh Vaghela re-entry into the Congress is not likely to impact the upcoming local elections in Gujarat.

Elections are scheduled for six municipal corporations, 81 municipalities, 31 district panchayats and 231 taluka panchayats.

Congress leader Dr Hemang Vasavada hit out at Vaghela and said, "The only thing Shankarsinh Vaghela has accomplished in his entire political career is promoting groupism and if he joins the party, he will continue doing so.

Political analyst Hari Desai told ETV Bharat, "Shankarsinh Vaghela has expressed his willingness to join the party. Congress has not invited him again. It must not be forgotten that CBI and Enforcement Directorate have not yet closed Vaghela’s files. When Vaghela went to attend the last rites of Ahmed Patel, Rahul Gandhi greeted everybody but ignored him. Congress knows it very well that Vaghela is bound to play BJP's game. During last assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi had told Shankarsinh Vaghela in the presence of Bharatsinh Solanki that you will be our next chief minister. To this, Shankarsinh Vaghela had said if I am made the chief ministerial candidate then I will decide my own team. He had voiced his dissent and Keshubhai Patel became Chief Minister in 1995.

After the BJP came to power in the state in 1995 and chose to make Keshubhai Patel the chief minister instead of him, Vaghela engineered a split in the saffron outfit and became the CM in 1996 with outside support of the Congress.

Later, he joined the Congress and served as Textile Minister in the Manmohan Singh government.

While in the Congress, he had also served as its state unit president and Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly.