Indranil Rajyaguru, the richest Congress candidate of 2017 Gujarat Assembly polls, who fought against Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, on Monday called it quits and exited his party citing discontent with the working of the state unit.
“I believe that Congress principles are best and Rahul Gandhi is the only true leader for development of the country. However, I am unhappy with the party functioning in the state and so I am resigning,” said Rajyaguru, whose declared net worth was around Rs 141 crore before 2017 Assembly polls.
Rajyaguru currently works as chief of Rajkot City Congress. He is also said to have played a key role in keeping the flock of Congress legislators together during Rajya Sabha elections contested by senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel. Rajyaguru had led the party legislators from Saurashtra region before they were flown off to Bengaluru.
The resignation of Rajyaguru could hit Congress hard in coming Lok Sabha elections, especially in Saurashtra region, with several senior leaders from this belt voicing their concern about the working style of state Congress chief Amit Chavda. Recently, Congress leaders from Saurashtra, Kunvarji Bavalia and Vikram Maadam, openly expressed their resentment with state party leadership.
“In the last Assembly polls, people who worked against party interests and those who gave speeches from BJP platforms, have been nominated by the party at the state level. And if one points it out to the party functionaries, we are told that this is how party runs!” Rajyaguru said.
He ruled out joining the BJP, saying that it would not happen “in this birth or even in the next”.