Gujarat Cong MLA Chirag Patel resigns from assembly; slams party leadership's style of functioning

Ahmedabad: In a setback to the Congress in Gujarat ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, party MLA Chirag Patel resigned as a member of the legislative assembly on Tuesday, citing disappointment with the working style of the party leadership.

Alleging groupism in the party's state unit, he said it is being "operated from Delhi directly by the central leadership as if they are running a princely state while sitting in air conditioned bungalows". He also claimed that many other MLAs were also unhappy in the Congress and felt suffocated.

Patel, a first-time MLA who represented the Khambhat seat in Anand district, handed over his resignation to Gujarat assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary in Gandhinagar this morning, the speaker's office said in a statement.

Chaudhary later told reporters he had accepted Patel's resignation.

With this, the Congress's strength in the 182-member assembly has come down to 16.

Patel had defeated sitting BJP MLA Mahesh Raval in Khambhat by a thin margin of nearly 3,700 votes in the assembly polls held last year. The BJP retained power in the state after winning 156 seats.

Speaking to reporters after tendering his resignation, Patel blamed the working style of the Congress leadership for his decision and claimed that some more party MLAs may also resign if the situation does not improve.

"I decided to resign after consulting people from my constituency. Like me, many MLAs are unhappy because they feel suffocated in the party. Groupism is at its peak in the Congress, and local party affairs are operated from Delhi directly by the central leadership as if they are running a princely state while sitting in air-conditioned bungalows," Patel said.

The Congress has now become "zero" from being a "hero", Patel said and did not divulge his plans for the future when asked if he plans to join the BJP.

The former legislator said that while the upcoming Ram temple in Ayodhya was a matter of great importance for the entire Hindu population, Congress leaders have not said a single word in favour of the temple's construction.