Patan: After joining the ruling BJP here, the former Congress MLA from Unjha seat in North Gujarat, Dr Ashaben Patel today reiterated that the opposition party which she left was completely submerged in factionalism and lobbying and it was not willing to let even its MLAs work for public welfare.

Talking to newsmen she also alleged that Congress did not care about the ‘self-respect’ of its MLAs. She claimed that 25 to 30 of its MLAs were aggrieved with the attitude of the leadership of the party and had expressed their voice in a recent meeting in the circuit house in Gandhinagar.

Ashaben who made the entry in to the saffron brigade along with 15 councilors of Unjha Municipality and 10 elected members of taluka panchayat, also said that if the PAAS leaders Narendra Patel and Vandana Patel did not put forth the proof about their baseless allegation of her taking Rs 20 crore from the BJP to join it, then she would sue them in a court under defamation laws.

She said that she has left Congress hearing the voice of her conscience as she found it difficult to save her self respect amid factionalism and lobbying in the party and joined BJP after getting a nod from her supporters.

‘So much so is the factionalism in Congress that even some of the party people had also tried to ensure my defeat in the assembly election last time when I was a party candidate in Unjha. This party which talks about fighting BJP was in fact indulged in heavy in-fight, factionalism and lobbying. I had resigned from the post of a class 2 government job to contest the polls but when I become an MLA and entered in to Congress’s inner political circles I felt that there was only ‘garbage’ there,’ She said

She said that her resignation from Congress would perhaps put some of the suffering MLAs in the party on a better footing.

On the occasion she also recalled how she was insulted by Congress leaders by not offering a seat to her on the stage during the extended executive committee meet of the party in Mahesana.

DeshGujarat