BJP: Patidar leader, Reshma Patel, makes her exit from the ‘Saffron Party'

Rajkot: As the elections are approaching, there are various news popping up related to the parties where one party forms an alliance with the other or an individual leaves one party and joins the other. On Friday, Gujarat BJP leader, Reshma Patel resigned from the party alleging that it has become a marketing company and its members have become salespersons.

Patel said addressing the media in Rajkot on Friday, "BJP has been reduced to merely a marketing company which teaches us to deceive the public by assigning the job of salesmen-salespersons and promoting its wrong policies and schemes. But we want to work to serve the public and bring a positive transformation and work for the country."

She further added: "But the autocratic behavior of BJP leaders have always been compelling the BJP workers to toil as labourers and BJP workers are there only for toiling. I no longer wish to continue suffering and injustice being metted out and so (am) freeing myself from sinful partnership of such autocratic leaders, resigning from the party in public interest."

She was a part of, what she called a media panel of the saffron party (BJP), and participated in debates on TV news channels.

Patel had stepped into the limelight through the ongoing Patidar agitation, demanding the recognition of politically and economically-influential community as Other Backward Classes (OBC), besides the extension of reservations in government jobs and admissions to institutes of higher education. She was a part of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), a group launched by Hardik Patel to run the campaign.

The 33 year-old Patidar leader resigned from BJP and announced to contest in the upcoming elections to the Porbandar Lok Sabha seat and Manavadar Assembly constituency as an Independent candidate if she is not offered any ticket from mainstream political parties.

Patel told reporters in Rajkot, “I am resigning from the BJP by writing this resignation letter to state President Jitu Vaghani. I have decided to relieve myself from BJP as the party uses its workers and leaders only for marketing its ‘hollow’ schemes. I have also decided to contest the election from Porbandar Parliamentary constituency. I request the Opposition parties to come on one platform, clear their stand about the Porbandar seat. I also propose to fight the seat together. I appeal them to give an opportunity to a woman to contest the election so that the representation of women increases. But if that does not happen, in that event, I will contest the Porbandar Parliamentary seat and Manavadar Assembly constituency as an Independent.”

Talking down on Reshma’s resignation, BJP spokesperson for Saurashtra and Kutch regions, Raju Dhruv, said, “Our state BJP president Vaghani has not reacted to her resignation announced through the media. She says she would courier the resignation. Officially, we do not want to comment on this. In a democracy, everyone has the right to contest the elections from any seat. It is her right and privilege.”

Commenting on Patel’s exit from the BJP, Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said, “We are aware of the press conference wherein she has announced that she would contest on a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). That party should give her a ticket or else she would contest as an Independent. However, the state and national leadership of Congress decides matters of forming alliances with other parties and the selection of party candidates for contesting the polls.”

Doshi added, “As far as Patel’s resignation is concerned, I will not ask her the reason behind joining the BJP. An individual has the right to join a political party or resign from one. However, the people of Gujarat will be happy to know as to why she was disillusioned with the BJP, what were her terms and conditions for joining the saffron party and how many of them were not fulfilled.”