Those who claim to know him do not exactly know him, goes the saying in Gujarat about its most colourful and resourceful politician, Shankarsinh Vaghela.
This he, apparently, proved on Tuesday, once again, to the chagrin of his own party, Congress, and the glee of his former party, the BJP.
After the ongoing intense speculation and rumours over the last few months about whether he will quit the Congress, join the BJP, or quit politics altogether, he announced on Tuesday that he will take a decision on his future course of action on Saturday (June 24)!
Amid local media reports on whether he would or would not, the 77-year-old Vaghela, a former CM and currently Leader of the Opposition in the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha, called a press conference on Tuesday where he declared that he is with the Congress Party, and that he is not joining the BJP.
“My friends are asking me why this uncertainty?”
And then he unveiled his plans: after paying obeisance to Lord Jagannath on June 24, he said, he has called a meeting of his “Congress supporters” at Civil Hospital Campus, Gandhinagar, where he will hold deliberations and “guided by supporters’ advice” take a decision on the future course of action.
In a long statement, he narrated how he was not after power, how he had worked with the then Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and the BJP, and how he formed the Rashtriya Janta Party (RJP).
“I wanted to prevent division of Congress votes, so I joined this party,” he claimed, and reiterated that he did not want to become the CM again. “I have already enjoyed all possible posts and power. All I want is to see the Congress return to power. I’m not interested in power equations or what happens thereafter.”
Vaghela also criticised the media for what he called “character assassination”. “The Fourth Pillar has no such right," he said.