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Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Rahul Gandhi to visit Gujarat on Saturday, to chart out Congress' course for upcoming polls
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will arrive for a one-day visit to Gujarat on Saturday to address the inaugural session of the party's three-day training programme for the newly-appointed presidents of the district units, said party leaders familiar with the development on Thursday. The event is slated to be held at a private resort in Anand. Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee President Amit Chavda said that Gandhi's state visit will include a strategic meeting to outline the party's course of action for the next two-and-a-half years, focusing on the 2026 civic body polls and the 2027 Assembly will also address a gathering of members of milk unions in Anand later on Saturday. Addressing mediapersons in Vadodara on Thursday, Chavda said, 'Rahul Gandhi will arrive in Gujarat on July 26, land in Vadodara and head to Anand, where he will join the inaugural session of the three-day Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan training camp for the newly-elected district presidents from across the state'. 'He (Rahul) has accepted our invitation to guide the newly elected leaders on the path ahead (especially) in (these) times when we are fighting corruption and irregularities in administration across the state…. he will take part in the camp for about four hours. Discussions will be held to plan Congress' move in the upcoming days to take up the issue of the misadministration, injustice and corruption in the cooperative sector… The party will fight against the same… There have been complaints of corruption in the Amul model that was set up due to the vision of Sardar Patel, Tribhuvandas Patel and Dr Kurien,' Chavda added. Chavda said that the members of the milk unions across the state are 'agitating' to be heard. Referring to the death of the milk farmer Ashok Chaudhary, who allegedly died following a medical complication after attending the Sabar Dairy protest on July 14, Chavda said, 'The entire system of cooperatives has been polluted. Therefore, Rahul ji will also interact with members of the milk producers union'. Chavda added: 'He will hear their pleas and complaints… He will be in Gujarat from 10 am to 6pm on Saturday… The BJP introduced the system of mandate in the cooperatives that captured the institutions meant to run through cooperation. The Congress will fight against this in the coming days.' Chavda said that the party was keen to bring about changes necessary for strengthening the organisational structure. 'Therefore, in the training camp, the agenda for the next two-and-half-years will be decided, beginning with the first goal: Taluka Panchayat, Municipal Corporations and Municipality elections. Before the polls, the Congress' organisational structure has to be strengthened at various levels…' he said further. 'Today Gujarat is facing many issues, including unemployment of youth, injustice against women, traders facing obstacles…There is corruption everywhere. Bridges are falling and people have died… it has made people lose their trust in the government,' Chavda added.
Indian Express
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Amit Chavda takes charge as GPCC chief, Tushar Chaudhary as CLP leader
As Amit Chavda on Tuesday took charge as the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president, he declared the day as 'Sankalp Diwas' and assured that he would reach every house in the state, listen to people's problems and fight for them. Tushar Chaudhary also took charge as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) at the same event. 'It won't work if we just leave from here taking the sankalp (oath). We have to reach every house in Gujarat, listen to people's problems, come out on the streets and then reach Parliament, fighting for their rights. To fulfil people's hope for a change in 2027, in Gujarat, we will not hesitate coming out on the streets, fighting for their rights,' Chavda said in his address at the Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan in Ahmedabad in the presence of senior Congress leaders, including state Congress in-charge Mukul Wasnik, former presidents Shaktisinh Gohil and Jagdish Thakor, party Lok Sabha MP Geniben Thakor, former Leader of Opposition Sukhram Rathva. This is the second time that Chavda, a five-time MLA from Anklav in Anand district, is taking charge as the GPCC president — a position he had held from 2018 to 2021. Later in 2023, he was appointed as the Leader of the CLP. Pointing at the low strength of Congress MLAs in the Gujarat Assembly, Chaudhary highlighted how he has to face 170 members with just 12 members in the Assembly. He, however, named each of the members and said they are capable of taking on the 170 BJP MLAs .'If any issue arises related to Saurashtra, Vimal Chudasama will raise his voice in the House. When it comes to tribal issues, Anant Patel and Kanti Kharadi will take on that. Imran Khedawala will highlight matters affecting minority communities. Jignesh Mevani will continue to challenge the government over its 'insensitive' actions. Kirit Patel, who is like an academician, knows his subject very well when it comes to discussions on any Bill in the House and Shailesh Parmar, like always, will take on the government on law and financial issues and question the government's accountability, forcing it to enforce the rules.' Meanwhile, Chavda stated that despite taking charge at a 'difficult and challenging time', he would make sure it does not affect Congress workers. 'Wearing this crown of thorns, I will ensure these thorns do not hurt my workers, those who have given me this responsibility with the hope of defeating the BJP in 2027,' he added. He also highlighted issues of employment among the youth, expensive education, fixed pay and contractual hiring, farmers' distress, apart from ones faced by small and medium traders, alleging that land mafia, mining mafia, education mafia, health mafia are running loose in Gujarat and corruption is seeped deep in the government where its own ministers have high stakes. 'Let us take the sankalp (oath) to eradicate all these from Gujarat and hoist the Congress flag in Gandhinagar in 2027. This is not only an oath to bring Congress as the ruling party but to end exploitation of people of Gujarat at the hands of BJP, to give them a respectable, safe and secure life,' he added.
News18
21-07-2025
- News18
Gujarat govt employee held by ACB for accepting bribe on GPay
Ahmedabad, Jul 21 (PTI) A Gujarat government employee was arrested on Monday for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 1500 and accepting it via digital payment app GPay, an Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) official said. Jaydip Chavda sent a QR code of his GPay application to the complainant and asked him to deposit Rs 1500 by scanning the code instead of coming in person with cash, ACB inspector RR Solanki said. Chavda, a Class-3 employee, works as village panchayat secretary or 'talati-cum-mantri' at Parab Vavdi village in Bhesan taluka in Junagadh, an ACB release said. 'The brother of the complainant had registered his marriage at Parab Vavdi recently. To avail financial assistance under a government scheme, he was required to submit a memorandum regarding his marriage. When he urged Chavda to issue the memorandum, he sought Rs 1500 as bribe," it said. 'The accused sent a QR code of his GPay mobile app to the complainant's brother and asked him to send the money by scanning it. After getting a complaint, Solanki and his team from Rajkot ACB unit laid a trap at Chavda's office on Monday and arrested him as soon as he received the bribe money on his payment application," the release said. PTI PJT BNM Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India.com
18-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Congress To Rebuild Ground Network From Booth To State, Says New Gujarat Unit Chief
AHMEDABAD: Newly appointed Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Chavda has pledged to lead a proactive, people-centric opposition aimed at ensuring the welfare, peace, prosperity, and security of Gujarat's citizens. Addressing party workers and the press following his return from Delhi, Chavda said the Congress would firmly raise the voice of the common people, especially at a time when the "double-engine BJP government is actively suppressing it". Chavda, a former state Congress president and seasoned MLA, said the party would launch an extensive 'Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan', strengthening the organisation from booth to state level. "We will ensure that grassroots workers are empowered and their voices reflected in all party decisions," he said, adding that new faces would be given opportunities as part of a renewed organisational structure. Expressing gratitude to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, and Gujarat in-charge Mukul Wasnik for entrusting him with the leadership, Chavda also thanked thousands of Congress workers and leaders who welcomed him at Ahmedabad airport upon his arrival. He emphasised that the Congress will intensify its outreach efforts, build direct public engagement, and fight for key issues affecting Gujarat. "We will fight for the rights of youth, farmers, women, the marginalised, and the oppressed. The present government thrives on bureaucratic overreach, commission raj, and corruption. It must be challenged head-on," he said. Chavda criticised the BJP-led state government for its alleged authoritarianism, accusing it of stifling democratic dissent. "Citizens are being harassed for voicing concerns. Journalists and whistleblowers are threatened into silence. This undeclared emergency must end, and Congress workers will be at the forefront to protect democracy," he declared. Referring to growing public anger, he said: "Bridges are collapsing, people are dying, daughters are being pushed to suicide, and cattle farmers are being cane-charged for raising their demands. The people of Gujarat are losing faith in the BJP." Quoting Rahul Gandhi's recent speech in Parliament, Chavda said the Congress is committed to defeating the BJP in Gujarat and restoring true democratic governance. 'We will fight together, as one Congress family from the top leadership to the last worker on the ground and ensure that the people of Gujarat reclaim their rights and dignity,' he concluded.
Indian Express
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Congress puts key OBC, ST faces at Gujarat helm, banks on political families for revival
The All India Congress Committee (AICC) leadership on Thursday named Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Amit Chavda as the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president, appointing Khedbrahma MLA and ex-Union minister Tushar Chaudhary as the new CLP leader. Chavda, 49, has returned as the state Congress chief after four years, having served in this position during 2018-21. The former GPCC chief, Shaktisinh Gohil, Rajya Sabha MP, had resigned from his post last month, owning responsibility for the party's debacle in the Assembly bypolls. Chavda, an OBC leader, is a five-time MLA from Anklav in Anand district, whose grandfather Ishwarbhai Chavda was an MP. He is also the cousin of former GPCC chief and Union Minister Bharatsinh Solanki. Chavda, who was unavailable for comment, thanked the Congress leadership in a post on X, saying, 'it is a solemn responsibility to fight for every Gujarati and uphold the values the Congress Party stands for. As a devoted soldier of the party, I will work day and night to strengthen @INCGujarat, fulfil the aspirations of our people, and realise the vision of Rahul Gandhiji' These appointments came a week after the Congress leadership held meetings and deliberations in this regard. Chavda was among a dozen state Congress leaders who were called by the party high command last week to Delhi, where they attended a crucial meeting held by Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, along with the party's Gujarat in-charge Mukul Wasnik. Some of the other state party leaders in the reckoning for the two top posts, including Lalji Desai, Geniben Thakor and Paresh Dhanani, were also present in this meeting, among others. Following Gohil's resignation, Shailesh Parmar, the party MLA from the reserved Danilimda constituency in Ahmedabad city, was handling the GPCC affairs on an interim basis. The appointments of Chavda and Chaudhary are seen as crucial at this juncture when the Congress is trying hard to reinvent itself and gain ground in Gujarat, where it has been out of power for the last 30 years. Chaudhary, who is the son of late chief minister Amarsinh Chaudhary, told The Indian Express that raising 'public issues' will be his priority while working to strengthen the party. Chaudhary, who is a first-time MLA from Khedbrahma in north Gujarat, a seat once held by his father, also said: 'We have raised MNREGA (irregularities) issue as a party and I have also raised it in my personal capacity. Now, people have come to know about the (alleged scam) in MGNREGA. We have also been raising the issues in the Nal Se Jal Yojana and it has also come out that there are irregularities in it… So, I will continue to raise issues that directly affect people on the floor of the House, and try to strengthen the party.' Currently, in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, the Congress has only 12 MLAs. The party launched the pilot project of its proposed countrywide 'Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan' from Gujarat, and recently appointed about 40 new District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents through this process. Chavda, who holds a diploma in chemical engineering, has also held various positions in several education trusts and cooperative bodies. He also contested, unsuccessfully, the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Anand. A tribal leader, Chaudhary is a former Congress MP from Bardoli, which he retained in 2009, when it was carved from the Mandvi Lok Sabha constituency – a Congress bastion since 1962 that Chaudhary had won in 2004. Bardoli has been held by the BJP since 2014. When asked about the arrest of Congress vice-president Hira Jotva and his son in the alleged MGNREGA scam in Bharuch district, Chaudhary said, 'Let the truth come out… he is not directly involved in the MGNREGA work.. He had been doing business but stopped in the last ten years. He was our Lok Sabha candidate and also contested the Assembly polls. He is a prominent Ahir leader in Saurashtra and a victim of BJP's vindictive politics.' Speaking about the tribal districts of Gujarat, Chaudhary said that unemployment and lack of implementation of the Forest Rights Act have been major issues facing the tribals. 'They (tribals) are not able to get their lands and it is an issue… Previously, the Congress party's protests ensured that the Gujarat government had to withdraw its decision to eliminate the management quota scholarship for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students, so we will continue to raise such issues in the Assembly.' Chaudhary also said that with the state's civic body polls slated for next year, he would 'identify issues' facing specific cities with the help of the local party units. He said he would also take up the issues in the House in the larger interest of the urban population, besides looking to improve the Congress's tally in the civic bodies.
