Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
Ahmedabad, Mar 10: OBC leader from Gujarat, Radhanpur Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor gave big relief to Congress after he held a press conference in Ahmedabad to clear the air of his shifting loyalty towards BJP.
The 43-year-old disclosed that, he was tempted to join BJP for power. He wanted power for the upliftment of his community. He acknowledged that he had offer from BJP to join the party and take-up ministry.
It may be recalled that two BJP MLAs who switched sides were rewarded with a ministerial berth in the Rupani-led Gujarat government.
"Now I will remain with Congress. It is fact that I was not happy with the state Congress leadership. I have conveyed my grievances to the central leadership. But I will adjust now and will work for the community, constituency and party," Thakor said in the press meet.
I can stay without power, but not without respect. I cannot accept if someone says that I can sell myself or I am greedy. So, I am saying that we have chosen the path of struggle which is full of difficulties. We will fight for the poor, unemployed, farmers, OBCs and SC/STs. Alpesh Thakor is now clear. I want to fight for my people and so I will stay with the Congress and will support the party. This will ensure that nobody will taunt me or my people that he was greedy or he wanted to be a minister. I want the respect and rights of my people and therefore we will struggle for it,” Thakor, an OBC leader who had joined the Congress in the run-up to the 2017 Lok Sabha elections, said.
Referring to Congress turncoats being made ministers in the BJP government, Thakor said, “The manner in which there is a move of MLAs to switch parties, I want to tell you that everyone likes power. I also want it for my people. With that power, I believe I can do something for my people. Who does not like to be a minister? Everyone does. Anyone sitting here would readily accept ministership, if offered. I also want to be a minister. One day, such a thought crossed my mind. I, too, thought of becoming a minister… But, I am not running after power. If I had wanted power, then I would have become a minister, six months ago. I do not want that power where issues of poor are not talked about and I can do nothing for them… When I thought I will become a minister by joining the (BJP) government, I also thought about the 25 lakh people who had given me a mandate in 2017 (Assembly elections) to be with the Congress,” Thakor said on a day when Javahar Chavda, one of the two Congress MLAs who had resigned from the Congress on Friday, was made a Cabinet minister in the BJP government.
Thakor had shot to fame in 2015 when he held de-addiction campaigns around time of the Patidar agitation led by Hardik Patel. Hoping to widen his base, he set up the OBC SC ST Ekta Manch, in addition to the existing Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena, in an attempt to project it as a parallel organisation of the OBC community.