Anand: Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Govind Parmar who represents Umreth assembly seat, today said he would go to Gandhinagar and tender his resignation from the membership of State assembly on Tuesday. Parmar said he would continue to be with BJP. Parmar said he was upset with district BJP organization and local Lok Sabha MP Mitesh Patel for their casteist approach. He said his recent defeat in AMUL dairy election was due to district party organization and MP Mitesh Patel.

‘Anand Lok Sabha MP Mitesh Patel is practicing casteism. He has started casteism ever since he has been elected to Lok Sabha. When candidates were to be decided for AMUL elections, I was not called in related meetings and I was not consulted. Then I filed nomination for AMUL dairy election. I was asked to withdraw the nomination but I refused. As I continued to contest, the local organization group asked their favorite candidate Bharat Patel to withdraw his nomination. As I had denied to withdraw my nomination, the local organization then worked against me. I lost the election by margin of 3 votes due to that,’ Parmar said.

‘There are 86 votes of Kshatriya and just 20 votes of Patel but they wanted to field Patel candidate and didn’t want me to contest. They had picked up Patel candidates for Anand and Borsad both seats. Local MP Mitesh Patel ensured that I don’t get even one single votes out of 20 Patel votes as I am a Kshatriya. I spent huge money but party organization worked for my defeat,’ Parmar said.

‘After I lost the election by 3 votes, the government nominated three members to AMUL but I was not chosen. Instead one who worked for my defeat, Bharat Patel was chosen. I had visited Gandhinagar and had given letters to Chief Minister, State party chief CR Patil, MOS Home Jadeja and State party organizational general secretary Bhikhubhai Dalsaniya and asked them to consider me as one of nominated members by government in AMUL. However they listened to Lok Sabha MP Mitesh Patel only and didn’t take note of my letters that I had handed over to them,’ Parmar further said.

‘Yesterday I gave a phone call to the State assembly speaker Rajendra Trivedi and asked him for appointment as I wanted to visit him to tender my resignation from the State assembly. Trivedi told me think further about the decision. However I insisted that I want to visit him to give resignation. Trivedi then asked me to come to meet him on Tuesday. I am going to visit him Tuesday with my resignation. My resignation would not make any difference to the State government. They have 106 MLAs and few more will add to that tally once the 8-seat by-polls are concluded. I am going to be with BJP only. I am not in talk with Congress or NCP. I was elected as independent MLA in 1995 and had also become minister. Then I won as Congress candidate. When Congress and NCP made allliance, I talked with Bharatbhai Solanki and left Congress to join BJP. I was offered Umreth ticket plus uncontested victory from Umreth by Bharatsinh Solanki but I refused to join Congress and stayed with party. My only issue is with Komvadi (casteist) Lok Sabha MP Mitesh Patel and district party organization,’ he said.

‘After I spoke to Assembly Speaker Trivedi, he might have spoken to party’s chief whip in the assembly and Nadiad MLA Pankaj Desai. Pankajbhai spoke to me over telephone and asked me not to take such a move. Party office bearer Shabdasharan Brahmbhatt also called me, however I have not spoken with him. District party chief Mahesh Patel also called me and proposed a meeting with Mitesh Patel, but I clearly refused the proposal,’ sulking MLA said.

Meanwhile Mitesh Patel has refuted allegation of casteism against him leveled by Parmar. He said, ‘such allegations are baseless. Neither I, nor my party believe in casteism. We are taking all together. Whatever I had to say I had conveyed it to the party leadership.’

DeshGujarat