In a desperate attempt to save Ahmed Patel’s Rajya Sabha seat, AICC General Secretary Digvijaya Singh made a desperate caste based appeal to Shankersingh Vaghela, former BJP rebel and currently Congress rebel MLA, to vote for Ahmed Patel in the Rajya Sabha elections being held today in Gujarat.
In a series of tweets early today morning, Singh asked the Rajput community leader to not forget what the Congress has done for them and ensure Patel’s victory.
https://twitter.com/digvijaya_28/status/894724076073140224
He asked his Rajput brother for “returning the favour” for hosting Vaghela when he had flown rebel BJP MLAs as shown of strength and eventually toppled Keshubhai government in Gujarat back in 1995.
He requested Vaghela to keep in mind what Congress has done for the Rajput community and vote for Patel.
https://twitter.com/digvijaya_28/status/894724305824526336
Twitterati was quick to decry his caste based appeal.
https://twitter.com/iMac_too/status/894762314032758787
Soon, the jokes followed.
https://twitter.com/Ruchhan/status/894758985726808064
But Singh didn’t stop there. Taking a dig at PM Modi, who, despite difference in political ideologies, has been a very close associate of Vaghela, Singh asked Vaghela not to support his “chela” (disciple).
https://twitter.com/digvijaya_28/status/894724816334454785
This caste based politics is not something new to Congress. Madhavsinh Solanki, father of current Gujarat Congress President Bharat Solanki, was the pioneer of the caste-based divisive KHAM (Kshatriya, Harijan, Adivasi, Muslim) vote bank theory. Solanki senior has presided over two of the worst caste based riots in Gujarat (which eventually graduated to communal riots) in the 80s.
In 2015, during the Patidar agitation, Congress, which had alienated the Patidar community during Madhavsinh Solanki time, extended support to Hardik Patel.
It was precisely this divisive caste based politics that alienated Congress from the common man of Gujarat.
However, Singh’s desperate attempt yielded no result as Shankersinh Vaghela, after casting his vote, declared that he has not voted for Ahmed Patel. He also said that though Ahmed Patel is a close friend of his, with a heavy heart he didn’t want to waste his vote by voting for him as Gujarat Congress not going to win anyway. He also claimed 4-5 Congress MLAs who were kept in resort in Bengaluru might also not vote for Patel.
https://twitter.com/DeshGujarat/status/894772340214554625
The result of this Rajya Sabha election will have a long lasting impact on Congress, and which his why the party is leaving no stone unturned to make sure Ahmed Patel wins, even if that means playing the caste card.