Cong moves Assembly secretariat seeking Thakor's expulsion

The Congress approached the Gujarat Assembly secretariat Thursday, seeking expulsion of disgruntled leader Alpesh Thakor as a legislator for his "anti-party activities".

Thakor resigned from all the posts he held in the Congress earlier this month, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

The "appeal" seeking his "expulsion" as MLA was submitted to the Assembly secretariat by chief whip of the Congress legislative party Ashwin Kotwal and senior party MLA Baldevji Thakor.

Kotwal told reporters that as Thakor is no longer with the Congress and had engaged in anti-party activities, he had no right to be an MLA of the party.

Thakor, a prominent OBC leader who was elected from Radhanpur on Congress ticket in 2017 Assembly polls, resigned from party posts on April 10, claiming that he and his Thakor community were insulted and betrayed by the Congress.

Kotwal said Thakor had also given up the primary membership of the party.

"Alpesh Thakor was elected on Congress' symbol. But he has resigned from the party and even engaged in anti-party activities by supporting independent candidates in the Lok Sabha election. He worked against Congress candidates in Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat and Unjha assembly seat (during a by-poll)," Kotwal said.

"Since he has already resigned from the party, he does not have any right to remain an MLA....The Speaker would take a call on our appeal," he said.

Thakor, who also heads Thakor Sena, a community outfit, was Congress secretary in-charge of Bihar, and was a member of all key committees of the Gujarat Congress for the Lok Sabha polls.