Ahmedabad, 31 December 2013

Finally former BJP MLA Dr. Kanubhai Kalsaria has found a political party of his choice to join. Kalsaria is going to join Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) most probably this week. Dr. Kalsaria was BJP MLA till 2012. Ideologically he is socialist and left-leaning. Kalsaria formed Sadbhavana manch last year and lost assembly elections with four other candidates fielded by him. In fact his was one of only two sitting MLAs who lost their deposit in the year 2012 Gujarat assembly polls.

Dr. Kanubhai Kalsaria was sitting BJP MLA from Bhavnagar district in Saurashtra when he had problem with construction of Nirma cement plant over a major sea-side water body in his constituency. However the state government was in favor of cement plant. Thus started rift between Dr. Kalsaria and the Narendra Modi government.

With former Congress minister Sanat Mehta as mediator, he met Rahul Gandhi to get support. On Rahul’s direction state Youth Congress unit helped Dr. Kalsaria. Sitting BJP MLA at that time, Kalsaria attended Youth Congress convention too in Ahmedabad. Dr. Kalsaria even organized a long march of thousands of villagers from Mahuva to Ahmedabad in the course of final phase of agitation against proposed Nirma plant.

Nirma plant didn’t materialize because of central government’s tough stand against the plant and also because of the Supreme Court order. BJP didn’t suspend or expel Kalsaria. Narendra Modi went to see him in hospital when Kalsaria faced road accident.

With Congress extending support, his Sadbhavana manch could control taluka panchayat in Mahuva, but after losing last assembly polls very badly against BJP, Kalsaria lost his charm. He was lastly in news when he resurfaced to protest proposed Mithi Virdi nuclear plant in Bhavnagar district.

Any impact?

No urban impact. Rural impact in some villages of Bhavnagar district. That too not sufficient to win elections. He enjoyed clean image once upon a time during initial phase of his political debut. Post Nirma plant agitation he started mixing with not only Congress but also with left leaning foreign funded NGOs, Jesuit groups and pseudo Gandhians among others. With a good number of sympathizers in local media he will ensure regular publicity for AAP.