Gandhinagar: Former Gujarat Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela today released a video statement and said he is ready to join Congress unconditionally if he is invited by central leadership of Congress party. Vaghela claimed he was requested by Congress cadres to return to the party when he joined funeral procession of late Congress leader Ahmed Patel last year. Vaghela said he met recently with Congress leader Bharatsinh Solanki, but the meeting was only about conveying condolence on passing away of Bharatsinh’s father Madhavsinh Solanki. Vaghela had left Congress party in year 2017 ahead of the State assembly general assembly. Many of his aides had left Congress to join BJP. Vaghela had later joined Sharad Pawar led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). However he left NCP eventually. In 1990s, Vaghela had left BJP with several of party MLAs and formed government. Vaghela has formed four different political outfits after leaving BJP in 1990s, Congress in 2017 and NCP later. 80-year leader is now looking forward to rejoin Congress party ahead of general elections of State assembly scheduled to take place next year.

Meanwhile, Rajkot Congress leader Hemang Vasavada has strongly condemned any possibility of Shankersinh Vaghela’s return to Congress party. Vasavada in talk to various local news channels opined that re-entry of Vaghela would again push Congress party to the era of factionalism. The party is working very well without Vaghela, he added.