Out of Congress, Vaghela, 77, declares himself Gujarat CM candidate of new non-party outfit, claims "wide" support

By A Representative
On being ousted from the Congress for voting for BJP candidates for the Rajya Sabha Amit Shah and Balwantsinh Rajput, former Leader of Opposition Shankarsinh Vaghela, aged 77, has suddenly found that there is something fundamentally wrong with the Indian party system, and it has befallen upon him to reform it.
Addressing a crowded media conference, in which there were large number of his supporters, who were more than eager to take selfies of a politician who once was Gujarat BJP chief, Vaghela said, whether it was the BJP or the Congress, both depend on every decision on their respective high commands.
"Quite unlike the US, where primaries at the local level elect the presidential candidate, and the process runs for full one year, here even candidates who want to fight assembly polls are decided by the High Command. I want to end this undemocratic system", Vaghela, who talked with media persons in a VVIP government guest house, declared.
And how is he going to go about it? Vaghela, whose nine supporter MLAs have crossed over from the Congress to the BJP ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls, said, "I have decided not to form any party. Instead, I have decided to form a non-party political organization, Jan Vikalp, which would put up candidates that would be selected democratically, at the local level."
Ironically, despite the talk of democratizing the party political system, Vaghela declared himself as the chief ministerial candidate of his non-party political outfit. Reason? "We sponsored an online survey, which said that majority of people in Gujarat favour me as the chief minister of the state."
Asked to provide details of the survey, especially the percentage of other possible chief ministerial candidates supported by those surveyed, and who carried out the survey, Vaghela named a person, who, when traced, "slipped out" of the media conference. Even his closest supporters couldn't find him despite their "frantic effort."
Scotching rumours that he would join the BJP, Vaghela predicted, "Neither the BJP nor the Congress would win the forthcoming Gujarat assembly polls. Our survey clearly says this." Asked whether it would be a third front, an experiment that hasn't ever succeeded in Gujarat, Vaghela said, "It will succeed, it has succeeded in most other Indian states."
Asked whether he would tie up with the Aam Aadmi Party, which wants to fight the forthcoming Gujarat polls, scheduled for December, overturning its earlier decision not to fight elections but defeat the BJP, Vaghela said, "We are open, we will support good candidates in other parties."
Despite a barrage of questions, which saw him perspiring, Vaghela couldn't identify the type of political setup his political outfit would have. When asked whether his supporters, who those who quit as Congress MLAs, would join him back, he said, "Why should they? They had negotiated with the BJP for quite some time."
One of the MLAs who quit the Congress to join the BJP, which hasn't yet accepted him, is Vaghela's son, Mahendrasinh Vaghela. When asked whether he would join the non-party outfit, Vaghela replied, "You can ask him".
Pointing out that the "positive agenda" of his new outfit, which included seeking jobs for youth and better working conditions for women, when asked what did he have to say about the now trending campaign in Gujarat, "Vikas gando thayo cche" (development has gone made), he said, "I don't want to comment on negative thoughts."
He added, "We are not going to criticise individuals, whether Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Sonia Gandhi or Ahmed Patel. We will only raise issues."

Comments

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars.

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.

Alarming decline in India's repair culture threatens circular economy goals: Study

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive new study by environmental research and advocacy organisation Toxics Link has painted a worrying picture of India's fading repair culture, warning that the trend towards replacement over repair is accelerating the country's already critical e-waste crisis.

Civil society flags widespread violations of land acquisition Act before Parliamentary panel

By Jag Jivan Civil society organisations and stakeholders from across India have presented stark evidence before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj , alleging systemic violations of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013 , particularly in Scheduled Areas and tribal regions.

Dr. Ram Bux Singh: Biogas pioneer’s legacy gains urgency amid energy crisis

By A Representative In an era defined by a global energy crisis and a desperate search for sustainable solutions, the visionary work of an Indian scientist from the mid-20th century is finding renewed, urgent relevance. Dr. Ram Bux Singh , a pioneering figure in biogas and renewable energy , is being posthumously honored by the Government of India, even as his decades-old innovations provide a blueprint for today’s challenges.

Captains extraordinaire: Ranking cricket’s most influential skippers

By Harsh Thakor* Ranking the greatest cricket captains is a subjective exercise, often sparking passionate debate among fans. The following list is not merely a tally of wins and losses; it is an assessment of leadership’s deeper impact. My criteria fuse a captain’s playing record with their tactical skill, placing the highest consideration on their ability to reshape a team’s fortunes and inspire those around them. A captain who inherited a dominant empire is judged differently from one who resurrected a nation’s cricket from the doldrums. With that in mind, here is my perspective on the finest leaders the game has ever seen.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

‘No merit’ in Chakraborty’s claims: Personal ethics talk sans details raises questions

By Jag Jivan A recent opinion piece published in The Quint by Subhash Chandra Garg has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Atanu Chakraborty from HDFC Bank , with Garg stating that the exit “raises doubts about his own ‘ethics’.” Garg, currently Chief Policy Advisor at Subhanjali and former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, writes that the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ) appears to find no substance in Chakraborty’s claims, noting, “It is clear the RBI sees no merit in Atanu Chakraborty’s wild and vague assertions.”

Search This Blog