AHMEDABAD: It may not have been the most obvious of political dramas, but it was drama nonetheless as former chief minister Vijay Rupani was left out of an event organized by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in his hometown of Rajkot. Ex-CM Vijay Rupani was conspicuously absent from a bridge inauguration in his hometown.
Not only was Rupani not among the familiar faces of senior BJP leaders at the inauguration of the Rs 42.38 crore Laxmi Nagar underbridge, but his name was also left out of the invitation for the event-- even as other MLAs from Rajkot were clearly mentioned.
In this regard, Minister of State Arvind Raiani said, "Vijay Rupani is our role model, he has a major influence in my career. He is in our hearts. The victory of many BJP leaders like me from Rajkot and Saurashtra has been shaped by him. Vijay Rupani’s name was not included as per protocol. There is no factionalism in the BJP.”
The Congress party was quick to notice infighting within the ruling party coming out in the open. Senior Congress leader Dr Hemang Vasavda said, “This is a clear fight between Bhai (Rupani) and Bhav (state BJP chief CR Patil). This bridge, now named after late CDS Bipin Ravat who died in a helicopter crash last month, was sanctioned during Rupani’s tenure. It connects the people of the eastern part of Rajkot to his constituency, Rajkot West. He is still a BJP MLA. If one MLA is mentioned on the invite and another from the same party is missing, that is proof that all is not well.”
Political analyst Dilip Patel Said "Usually when a function is being held under the chairmanship of any Chief Minister or Minister, the names of local MPs, MLAs, party presidents, mayors, and other office-bearers are included, whether they are present or not. However, the Laxminagar underbridge is a very important project for Rajkot West, this bridge is connecting Vijay Rupani's constituency, so MLA Vijay Rupani’s name should definitely come up. This is clearly BJP’s factionalism.
Senior BJP leaders, on the other hand, evaded the issue even when questioned about factionalism in the BJP. Notably, this is not the first time Rupani has been sidelined. He was also absent during Patil’s visit to Rajkot, and the BJP’s roadshow led by CM Bhupendra Patel in Rajkot. He did, however, make an appearance after the roadshow had ended.