Shankarsinh Vaghela, the 'Bapu’ of Gujarat politics licks his wounds

In a defiant mood, the former CM speaks of how Rahul went back on promise of granting him charge of Cong. campaign

Flashback mode: Former Gujarat Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela at his residence in Gandhinagar.

From Vasant Vangdo, his fortress-like palatial home in Gandhinagar spread over 5.2 acres, to his customised Innova car, the former Gujarat Chief Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela exudes an opulence even as he takes his most isolated stand in his political career during this election.

Despite strong rumours to the contrary, his son Mahendrasinh Vaghela has failed to land the BJP ticket, said to be part of a deal struck between the father and the BJP for his support during the Rajya Sabha elections held in August.

“I am performing a political experiment in these elections, that we provide an alternative to the two main parties the BJP and the Congress which are both ridden with a high-command culture and have no inner party democracy,” he said.

Asked if he was just trying to a put on a brave face for having possibly mistimed his rebellion and hurt his son’s prospects, he was unabashedly defiant.

A promise not kept

“It was in Delhi that Rahul Gandhi gave me his word that I would have the run of the Congress campaign in the State, nearly a year before the polls. It didn’t take three days for that word to be broken. I could not continue in the party after that. As for my son, and the harm you say I have done to his political career, I believe that it is the people who make you a political leader, nothing anybody else does has an effect. Just look at Narendra Modi and myself. We entered politics through the Jan Sangh as part of the

sanghathan or organisation, where it was a given that we were not contenders for any MP, MLA ticket. I became Chief Minister, Union Minister and Modi has become Prime Minister. That destiny only the people can give you,” he said.

His future plans include fighting 120 seats in the Assembly, assessing his own ground strength and surprisingly, lobby for a presidential form of election in India.

New dream

“Look at the way the Americans do this, delegates from both the Republican and Democratic Party choose their candidate, does anyone know their party president’s name? Donald Trump wasn’t even a Republican for much of his race,” he said.

Tall dreams, taller than the ramparts of Vasant Vagdo, for Mr. Vaghela, known as the “Bapu” of Gujarat politics.