NE NEWS SERVICE
GANDHINAGAR, MAY 3
After AAP-BTP held a rally in the tribal belt of Gujarat, a stranglehold of Congress, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is eyeing adivasi votes. A three-time MLA from Khedbramha and tribal leader Ashwin Kotwal quit the Congress and joined the BJP on Tuesday.
આ પ્રસંગે પ્રદેશ મહામંત્રી શ્રી @rajnipatel_mla , શ્રી @pradipsinhbjp સહિત પ્રદેશ પદાધિકારીશ્રીઓ, હોદ્દેદારો અને આગેવાનો ઉપસ્થિત રહ્યાં. pic.twitter.com/XfIlOuraCF
— BJP Gujarat (@BJP4Gujarat) May 3, 2022
Ashwin Kotwal, who joined the BJP at Kamalam in Gandhinagar said, “I was elected as MLA three times from Congress, but PM Modi was in my heart always.”
He is said to have a strong supporter base in the tribal belt. Following his resignation, Congress’s strength in Gujarat Vidhan Sabha has come down to 63.
Talking about his decision to quit Congress and join BJP, Ashwin Kotwal said, “I was unhappy with the functioning of the Congress. The party has just filled their pockets and done nothing for adivasi people. The BJP, on the other hand, has a good vision for adivasis.”
He added, “In 2007, when I was elected as MLA, PM Modi had given an invitation to me to join the BJP. He had a vision for adivasis. He said to me ‘Adivasis should live in proper houses, there should be electricity, water and good education for them.’
Country will not get such vikas purush (good man) like Modi. I don’t want to get into whether I will get a (BJP) ticket or not, I just know that for the BJP’s target for 150 seats in upcoming assembly elections, I will be part of it.”
Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP has formed an alliance with Chhotubhai Vasava’s Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP). Vasava has been MLA since 1990 and his son Mahesh Vasava is an MLA as well.
Talking about the AAP-BTP alliance, Ashwin Kotwal said, “Today, someone from Delhi will come here and talk about education? The person coming from Delhi says check the schools of Delhi and Gujarat. Has the person ever helped adivasis? Has he ever helped adivasi students? Delhi is a capital city, things are different there and here (in Gujarat).”
