More than 15 MLAs in Gujarat want to quit Congress, claims Alpesh Thakor

Alpesh Thakor met Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Monday.

AHMEDABAD: Former Congressman and Gujarat OBC leader Alpesh Thakor on Tuesday said that 15-20 Congress MLAs in Gujarat are set to quit the party soon. Thakor added that the Congress lacks leader and if the party continues to function like this then it will not be able to return to power for at least 10 more years. 

"It was our decision & the voice of my conscience that we don't want to be here. We want to work for our people & the poor with help of the govt...Wait and watch, more than 15 MLAs are leaving Congress, everyone is distressed. More than half of the MLAs are upset," he told ANI.

Alpesh Thakor: It was our decision & the voice of my conscience that we don't want to be here. We want to work for our people & the poor with help of the govt...Wait and watch, more than 15 MLAs are leaving Congress, everyone is distressed. More than half of the MLAs are upset. https://t.co/3HtNhItl3e

— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2019

Talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Thakor said that everyone in Gujarat knows that he has a lot of respect for the prime minister and I was always attached to him emotionally.  Alpesh also talked about Congress President Rahul Gandhi and said that though he shares a very good relationship with the Gandhi scion but when it comes to leadership there is no match for PM Modi and he does not need my certificate for this. 

It is to be noted that Thakor met Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Monday. The meeting sparked widespread speculation that he may join the BJP. Thakor is currently an MLA from Radhanpur in Patan district. Thakor had won the Assembly election on Congress ticket but he decided to quit the Congress before the 2019 Lok Sabha poll.

The meeting between Thakor and Patel took place at the latter's office in Gandhinagar office. BJP sources said that it lasted for about half an hour. Thakor's close aide and Congress MLA from Bayad Dhavalsinh Zala was also present at the meeting. 

Alpesh, however, stressed that he is not planning to join BJP though he is in contact with many BJP leaders. "I meet several BJP leaders as I am an MLA and I have to work for my constituency but I have no plans to join BJP," he told ANI.

Thakor quit Congress after the party decided to not give him ticket to contest Lok Sabha poll from Patan parliamentary constituency and instead chose former MP Jagdish Thakor from Patan. The relation between Congress and Thakor strained further after the grand old party did not give ticket to a member of his outfit, the Thakor Sena, from the Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat.