Former Gujarat Youth Congress president joins BJP

Former Gujarat Youth Congress president Vishwanathsinh Vaghela joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, days after quitting his post.

Vaghela, who resigned as the Gujarat Youth Congress chief a few days ago, joined the ruling party at a function held at the state BJP headquarters in Gandhinagar and his entry comes just ahead of the year-end Assembly polls. Vaghela and a group of other former Youth Congress and NSUI (National Students Union of India) leaders, including Vinaysinh Tomar and Nikul Mistry, were welcomed into the saffron party by its state unit vice-president Gordhan Zadafia, said a BJP release.

Vaghela, who resigned ahead of Rahul Gandhi's Gujarat visit on September 5, said many youth leaders in the Congress were unhappy because of "groupism" and "nepotism" in the opposition party. "People like me had joined the Congress because of its contribution in our country's freedom struggle. But, over a period of time, the party has changed a lot. "Now, Congress leaders do not even mention the name of national icons like Sardar Patel. Instead of any improvement, the Congress's image has been deteriorating" he told reporters after joining the BJP.

Vaghela, appointed the Gujarat Youth Congress president in January this year, said he joined the BJP after getting inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah's nationalist ideology as well as the saffron party's pro-development policies. He hit out at his former party and highlighted its shortcomings.

"The Gujarat Congress is suffering from groupism and nepotism. When I tried to change the party's culture after becoming its youth wing president (in Gujarat), I was not allowed to do so. The Congress party never gives any direction to its youths who want to do something for the country and the state," alleged Vaghela.