'Anti-party activities': BJP suspends ex-spokesperson hours after he shares 'selfie' with Bhagwant Mann

Kishansinh Solanki served as a BJP spokesperson till around six months ago, and has now been suspended for six years with immediate effect.

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday (October 3, 2022) suspended its former spokesperson Kishansinh Solanki for "anti-party activities", hours after he shared a selfie with Punjab Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Bhagwant Mann on social media. Solanki served as a party spokesperson till around six months ago and has now been suspended for six years with immediate effect. 

"Ahmedabad district's Kishansinh Solanki is today suspended from the party for six years with immediate effect for anti-party activities by the order of state BJP chief CR Patil," a statement issued by Gujarat BJP said.

Gujarat BJP spokesperson Yagnesh Dave said Solanki had been a part of the state BJP media team and served as a spokesperson but was not holding any post as of now.

"He was a convener of the BJP media cell and appeared in TV debates on behalf of the party before he was removed from the post around six months ago," Dave said.

Solanki on Sunday night had shared a selfie with Mann on his Facebook page with the caption, "Thanks for birthday wishes Bhagwant Mann ji".

Mann and his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal had visited Gujarat recently for campaigning for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Former Gujarat home minister's son, ex-CM's daughter join AAP

Meanwhile, a former Congress leader and the daughter of a former Gujarat chief minister joined the Aam Aadmi Party.

Chetan Raval, son of former state home minister Prabodh Raval and a former president of a city unit of the Congress, had resigned from the party on Saturday and joined the AAP claiming he was encouraged by Kejriwal's "people-oriented approach".

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state and at the Centre as well as the Congress had failed to solve people's issues.

His father Prabodh Raval was the home minister of the state in the 1980s under Madhavsinh Solanki and was also a two-time Congress state unit president.

Nita Mehta, daughter of former chief minister Chhabildas Mehta, also joined the AAP, a day after meeting Kejriwal, who was on a two-day visit to the state on Saturday and Sunday.

AAP ના નેશનલ જોઈન્ટ સેક્રેટરીશ્રી ઇન્દ્રનીલ રાજ્યગુરુની મહત્વપૂર્ણ મુદ્દે પત્રકાર પરિષદ #LIVE https://t.co/tB6373IUB5 — AAP Gujarat | Mission2022 (@AAPGujarat) October 3, 2022

Mehta, a social worker, said she was joining AAP because of Kejriwal's governance in Delhi and his fight against inflation.

(With agency inputs)