Woman councillor, 40 workers quit BJP

VADODARA: Ahead of the assembly elections which are scheduled later this year, internal disputes in the saffron brigade are coming to the fore .
On Saturday, a group of 40 BJP workers including woman councillor of ward 19 Bhavna Patanwadia, resigned from the party. The group which included former councillor of the ward, a member of the executive body of the city unit, ward office-bearers, members of the party’s Baxi-Morcha and former and sitting general secretary of the ward submitted their resignations at the party’s office on Saturday .
They alleged that the current office-bearers of the party including Vadodara BJP city unit president Ranjan Bhatt, mayor of Vadodara municipal corporation Bharat Dangar are not hearing their problems.
“We have often made representations to resolve problems of our areas including Makarpura, Maneja and Jambuva. But our pleas are falling to deaf ears. Work in our areas are not being taken up on priority basis and our pleas are not being entertained,” said Vanraj Chavda, who also submitted his resignation as general secretary of the party from the ward.
The group also alleged that workers are being treated as slaves. “Even the corporator does not get a proper answer. We are workers of the party and not bonded labourers,” he said. Bhatt, however, said that she was busy in a meeting and hasn’t gone to the office. “I have not received the resignations. But whatever be the case, we will give them a patient hearing,” she said.