Caught in eye of storm, Congress MLA Alpesh says will resign if proven guilty
AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI: As the political slugfest over the exodus of migrant workers intensifies in Gujarat, Congress MLA and OBC leader Alpesh Thakor has found himself in the eye of a storm.
Thakor — who was part of the troika, along with Patidar leader Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani, challenging the Gujarat’s BJP government ahead of the 2017 assembly polls — has got mired in a controversy as most of the 342 people arrested in the 42 cases of attacks on migrants allegedly belong to his outfit, the Kshatriya Thakor Sena (KTS).
The attacks started after a migrant from Bihar allegedly raped a 14-month-old toddler in north Gujarat’s Himmatnagar on September 28. Around the same time, the KTS had launched a drive demanding preference for local workers over migrants in the automobile manufacturing hub of Sanand and north Gujarat.
Thakor had even announced an Adhikar Yatra on October 8 to press his demands, but cancelled the event as the exodus of migrants started hitting industrial production in the region.
The ruling BJP on Tuesday launched an all-out attack on Thakor and the Congress leadership, a day after its state president Amit Chavda blamed the ₹Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sanghbharatiya Janata Party’ combine for the violence against migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
“We all know who is responsible for the attacks. Congress president Rahul Gandhi should ask Thakor what his people are up to,” Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitin Patel claimed Tuesday.
At a press conference in Delhi, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, “If Rahul Gandhi is actually worried about Gujarat, Bihar and India, he should immediately expel Alpesh Thakor from the Congress.”
The BJP alleged that Thakor was fanning the violence against the migrant workers. “The Congress can do anything for power, even if it requires hurting the interests of the nation,” Patra alleged. “Chaos, conspiracy and confusion – the three Cs – are the hallmark of the Congress.”
The Congress, which has of late been giving hot and cold treatment to the 43-year-old leader, came out in support of Thakor. “The BJP has failed to protect women. There have been so many rape cases against minors. The BJP is also seeing defeat in the upcoming elections in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Hence, to divert attention, it is supporting the attackers and blaming Alpesh Thakor,” said state party chief Chavda.
A teary-eyed Thakor, whose son was hospitalised on Tuesday, said, “There have been efforts to defame my community. I will resign as MLA within two days if the allegations are proved true.”
The latest development has put a question mark against Thakor’s future political plans at a time when speculation was rife about his joining the BJP. In fact, his recent appointment as co-incharge of Bihar was seen as the Congress bid to retain him. Thakor came into the limelight last year after leading a counter agitation against the Patidars’ demand for OBC status.
At a time when the BJP is unsure about its trusted voters -the Patidars -- it is apparently trying to woo the Kolis and Thakors, who together form almost 44% of Gujarat’s 60 million population. The Patidars, who make up 14% of the state population, are up in arms against the BJP over the OBC quota issue.