After playing Dhritarashtra, don’t invoke Bhishma, Shankersinh Vaghela tells Advani

AHMEDABAD: L K Advani’s decision to quit BJP posts has vindicated his erstwhile supporters in Gujarat, who say he is paying the price for ignoring their complaints against chief minister Narendra Modi.
“Why invoke Bhishma now when you played Dhritrashtra all your life by overlooking complaints against Modi,” said Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela. He said Advani wrongly favored Modi whenever he complained against him.
Vaghela had written a detailed letter to Advani in 1995 complaining about Modi’s personal agenda, saying his self-promotion was harming the BJP before leaving the party. “Advani protected Modi all the way. Now, he is paying the price.’’
He spoke him mind having quit the party. But several other BJP leaders, who echoed him were reluctant to come on record.
Almost every senior Gujarat BJP leader has at some point or the other complained about Modi’s high-handed approach.
A generation of senior BJP leaders, many of whom were known to be close to Advani, was finished politically during Modi’s rule. These include Keshubhai Patel, late Kashiram Rana, Suresh Mehta, Bhavna Chikhalia, Vallabh Kathiria, Nalin Bhatt, K D Jeswani, Jayshree Thakkar.
Rana, Chikhalia and Kathiria were unceremoniously denied tickets in 2009 despite being ministers in the NDA government.
Another Advani loyalist, Harin Pathak, barely managed to survive after the BJP patriarch intervened at the eleventh hour and ensured he got ticket in 2009. Pathak, a seven-term MP from Ahmedabad, was the only leader from Gujarat, who has sided with Advani in the latest turf war.
Like Pathak, Rajendrasinh Rana, BJP’s MP from Bhavnagar, too, managed to survive thanks to the last-minute intervention from RSS. Modi had decided to drop Rana, a loyal RSS worker. Today, Rana refuses to take sides.
One of Advani’s most loyal soldiers in Gujarat, Surendra Patel, popularly known as kaka, was the biggest casualty. Once considered among the most powerful leaders, Kaka was known for his fund-raising abilities.
Patel was unceremoniously removed from the powerful post of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority chairman. Much against his wishes, Patel was sent to Rajya Sabha. Last year, Modi decided not to extend his term.