Ending a week long speculation, top Gujarat Congress leader Narhari Amin formally joined BJP in presence of chief minister Narendra Modi at the party’s state headquarters. Amin brought with him several Congress leaders, including sitting MLA from Jamjodhpur Brijrajsinh Jadeja and spokesperson Jayantilal Parmar, apart from nearly 4,000 supporters.
Modi welcomed Amin describing the move as a step towards strengthening democracy. Amin’s two-decade-long association with the Congress ended last week after he was denied ticket by the party for the assembly polls.
Amin said senior leaders like him were “insulted by the Congress” as it had given tickets to unknown faces but those who had worked for the party for the last so many years were ignored. Everything was going fine in the Congress party till ticket distribution. At that time differences between the state Congress leaders came to fore as all of them wanted tickets for their supporters,” he said.
Predicting a third straight win for Modi, Amin said, “In 1990, Janta Dal and BJP came in power together and Congress won only 32 seats. This time six crore Gujaratis will repeat ensure the Congress gets less than 32 seats.” Amin was a deputy chief minister in the Janata Dal government headed by late Chimanbhai Patel in early 1990s.
Assuring that his group will mix with BJP workers like sugar in milk, Amin urged workers to start working towards making Modi the next prime minister in 2014.
Reacting to Amin’s joining BJP, Congress spokersperson Manish Doshi said that had the BJP shown the same sympathy, which it showed for Amin, former leaders like Keshubhai Patel would not have quit the party and would not have formed the third force. The BJP which is welcoming Congress leaders had insulted the senior BJP leaders like Keshubai, Suresh Mehta among others.
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