Former Congress MP from Gujarat Jagdish Thakor today resigned from all party positions owing to his differences with the party's state leadership.
However, Thakor will remain in the party as he has not resigned as a worker.
Thakor, who represented Patan seat from 2009 to 2014 in Lok Sabha, sent the resignation letter to Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki and Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Shankersinh Vaghela.
"I have resigned from all the posts (that) I was holding in Congress. However, I have not resigned as party worker. I have conveyed my decision to Solanki and Vaghela through a letter containing reasons behind my decision," Thakor told PTI but refused to share the contents of the letter.
However, he openly expressed his displeasure about the functioning of the party in Gujarat.
"When Solanki and Vaghela came to meet me after getting my resignation, I refused to meet them. I clearly told them that I cannot work with them in the current situation," said Thakor, hinting at rift between him and the state party leadership.
Thakor was a member of party's co-ordination committee and is considered as a soft-spoken leader having clout on Thakor community, a decisive vote bank in north Gujarat.
Though he was a sitting MP, Thakor stayed away from contesting 2014 Lok Sabha polls and worked for the Congress.
Sources in the Congress claimed that Thakor was unhappy with the party leadership over some booth and ward level appointments in north Gujarat ahead of 2017 polls.
"Thakor was unhappy because he was not kept in loop while appointing some local leaders in north Gujarat as part of party's pre-poll exercise. He felt sidelined and ignored. He might be upset because the party did not select his supporters as potential candidates for 2017 polls," a Congress leader said.
Apart from dealing with illegal liquor sale, Thakor
wants the state government to come up with clear policies regarding better employment opportunities for locals in industries and also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of turning his back on the unemployment issue affecting Gujarat's youth.
"Around 60 lakh youths are unemployed in Gujarat. Though Tata Motors was given benefits worth Rs 40,000 crores to set up their Nano plant, Tata is not ready to give jobs to local youths. Maruti and Honda plants are also operational, but, they are not ready to give jobs to locals. This is not acceptable," claimed Thakor.
"OSS Ekta Manch has sent at least 10 lakh postcards to the PMO on unemployment and requested the PM to address this issue. But, there was no response from the PM. Now, we will not wait further. If the state government does not come up with a clear policy by today evening in this regard, then we will uproot this government," said Thakor.
The OBC leader demanded a Rs 5,000 crore yearly package for uplifting the Thakor community and added that such packages should also be given to other backward communities.
Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani was also present at Thakor's rally to extend his community's support.
Though the OSS Ekta Manch was created to counter the Hardik Patel-led Patel quota agitation for the inclusion of Patels in the OBC community for reservation rights, Hardik has extended his support to Thakor on the de-addiction issue.
