“I don’t have the kind of money to run a Lok Sabha campaign, although the Congress did ask me to contest in 2019,” said a nonchalant Indranil Rajyaguru, who was the richest candidate during the 2017 Gujarat elections with declared assets worth over Rs 141 crore. The former Congress MLA from Rajkot (east), who had quit the party citing “internal politics” as the reason, speaks highly of the party and the party president Rahul Gandhi.
“I believe Rahul Gandhi is the only man fit to be the Prime Minister of the country,” said Rajyaguru, echoing the Congress sentiment, even though he is no longer a Congress man. Rajyaguru quit the party on 25 June.
On Quitting the Party
When The Quint asked Rajyaguru why he chose to exit the party, he said, “I was the Congress President of Rajkot district. However, decisions were taken and appointments were made without consulting me.” The All India Congress Committee had appointed 12 presidents in the city and district units across Gujarat “without consulting” him.
“The party, in my view, has given high posts to those persons who have hurt its chances in the last election. They even made one particular Congress leader a nirikshak, when it was a known fact that the person had held sabhas for the BJP.”
When asked who he was accusing of being a party traitor, he simply brushed aside the question and said “the party knows”.
On Losing the Election
Although Rajyaguru seemed quite miffed about the counting process, he claimed he didn’t want to launch a tirade over the matter, as it would reflect poorly on him, making him look like a sore loser.
He said, “Rajkot is no longer a Congress bastion, and we are quite weak here. I took it as a challenge and asked for a ticket from Rajkot West. It is possible that the locals had expectations out of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and voted him in.”
Yet, he rued over the alleged false propaganda spread by the BJP during the campaign. “They (BJP) tried to portray me as an alcoholic and spread fake videos on social media in which I was shown walking with a limp on stage. I have a bad knee and a government permit to buy liquor, yet I was made a victim. I could have resorted to similar tactics, but that would make me a common politician and that is not how I win elections,” he added.
On His Political Future
Rajyaguru claims he doesn’t need a platform to do social work and certainly will not side with the saffron party in future.
“The BJP lies a lot and their chain of command instructs every party worker to proliferate the lies to the masses. That is not my ideology and I would rather stay out of politics than join them. As far as the Congress is concerned, I do believe that Congress is the only party that has the intention to do good work for the society and, although I have quit the party, I have no qualms in talking about their positives.”
Rajyaguru cites financial limitations for not contesting the Lok Sabha elections, now that the biggest name in Saurashtra, Kunvarji Bawaliya, has changed camps and become a cabinet minister in the Gujarat government.
“I had taken money out of my children’s funds to contest the last election and the 2012 election. I also spent money on the party at the district level in the last five years. I have no grudges against the party and I am not saying I will not contest the elections either, as I have not given it much thought. The party has been kind to me, but it needs to focus on winning the hearts of the masses; that is how I have won elections. So, as of now, Lok Sabha is not on my mind.”
With Bawaliya out of the equation, the Congress may woo Rajyaguru back next year, as he remains a powerful leader with considerable clout in the Rajkot and Saurashtra regions. But for now, Rajyaguru, who says he has not retired from politics, will “work for the society”.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)