Legislators from both major parties, including CM Vijay Rupani, indulged in a slugfest over the candidature of a Dalit leader for presidential polls. The war of words broke out when the leaders came to vote at a polling booth in the secretariat complex on Monday.
After casting his vote, Rupani expressed that Congress had played the Dalit card on the issue. “In fact, the Congress has been playing the Dalit card for long and they did it when they had to nominate a candidate for the presidential polls. They never nominated a Dalit candidate for the post of President in the past, or when they were in power and their candidate could win. They fielded a Dalit candidate when they are on a losing streak. This shows the Congress has been using Dalits and their Dalit leaders for their political agenda only.”
Reacting to this, senior Congress MLA from Abdasa, Shaktisinh Gohil said, “The BJP does not have the right to utter a single word about Dalits. Have they ever tried to appoint a Dalit at any important position earlier? They fielded a Dalit candidate to cash in on political equations in poll-bound states. If they have so much regard for Dalits, the BJP should make a Dalit leader the Gujarat CM, or else the Dalit person should be made chief of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.”
180 MLAs cast vote
Out of total 182 MLAs, 180 MLAs cast their vote. These included CM Vijay Rupani, former CM Anandiben Patel, deputy CM Nitin Patel, leader of opposition Shankersinh Vaghela and BJP chief Jitu Vaghani. BJP national president Amit Shah, an MLA from Naranpura constituency, cast his vote in New Delhi as the ECI allowed him to do in a special case. In charge of state Congress Ashok Gehlot, an MLA in Rajasthan assembly, also cast his vote from Gujarat, while JDU candidate Chhotu Vasava abstained from voting in protest against what he claimed was the ill-treatment meted out to scheduled tribes.
Talking to mediapersons, BJP chief whip in the assembly Pankaj Desai said, “A total of 122 BJP MLAs, 57 Congress MLAs and two NCP candidates in the state assembly cast their vote. All MPs from the state cast their vote in New Delhi as the parliamentary session began today.”
Cross-voting by BJP MLA
In an instance of cross-voting, BJP MLA from Dhari constituency, Nalin Kotadia, voted for UPA candidate Meira Kumar instead of NDA’s Ram Nath Kovind.
After casting his vote, Kotadia said, “I have voted against Kovind. I do not want to give my vote to a candidate of a party which does not have sensitivity toward the Patel community as the government led by the same party had ordered police atrocities against the community during its campaign for reservation.” The party was quick to disown Kotadia. Rupani said Kotadia had been expelled from the party for indulging in anti-party activities.
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