Ahmedabad, Nov 18 (PTI) In a jolt to the ruling BJP inthe poll-bound Gujarat, its MLA from Kodinar seat, JethaSolanki, today quit the party and resigned from all posts,alleging that Dalits have been facing "atrocities" under itsrule.
Solanki, who was one of the parliamentary secretariesappointed by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, resigned from thepost.
Parliamentary secretaries are considered equivalent todeputy ministers and are supposed to help the ministers.
The Dalit leader also said that he was "unhappy" afterbeing told by the party that he will not get a ticket thistime.
"I have resigned from the BJP, as an MLA and also asthe parliamentary secretary. I have decided to quit as theparty has stopped listening to my representations," he said.
Solanki said the party conveyed to him that he wouldnot be given a ticket this time.
"Yes, the party told me that it would not give a ticketto me this time," he said.
"The party tried to convince me not to resign but I havedecided not to take back my resignation," he said.
Referring to Una Dalit atrocities case, Solanki said,"Under this BJP government, the Dalit community has facednumerous atrocities. The community is facing a difficultsituation.""During the Una incident, the Anandiben Patelgovernment earlier took some steps, but after Vijay Rupanibecame the chief minister, his government has not taken anysteps for upliftment of Dalits," Solanki said.
He refused to answer whether he would fight the pollsas an independent candidate or join any other party.
Nobody from the BJP commented on Solanki's resignation.
The BJP yesterday released its first list of 70candidates for the Assembly elections in Gujarat next month.
The BJP is yet to declare its candidate for the Kodinarseat, where elections will be held in the first phase onDecember 9, and the last date of filing of nomination forms isNovember 21.
Meanwhile, supporters of senior leader I K Jadeja createdruckus at the state BJP headquarters in Gandhinagar as he wasnot given a ticket from Wadhwan seat.
"Workers of the Wadhwan constituency are angry as theparty, instead of giving ticket to me, has brought in anoutsider," Jadeja said.
The BJP has given ticket to Dhanjibhai Patel, from theWadhwan constituency. PTI PD NPKJ.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.