Gujarat: After criticising Cong, Alpesh Thakor meets Vijay Rupani

Congress MLA and prominent OBC leader from Gujarat, Alpesh Thakor, who has expressed unhappiness with his party's state leadership, met Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in Gandhinagar on Thursday.

The meeting triggered speculation in the political circles. However, Rupani tried to play it down, saying Thakor came to discuss issues concerning his constituency.

"He came as an MLA to make a representation about the issues (concerning his constituency). All Congress legislators meet me for that purpose. Nothing else," the chief minister told reporters in Sabarkantha district's Idar town.

Thakor, who represents Radhanpur seat in Patan district, was not available for comment.

The meeting comes weeks after Thakor claimed that his community and supporters were feeling "cheated" and "ignored" in the Congress.

Without taking any names, he had said some "weak leaders" were at the helm of party affairs in Gujarat, an apparent reference to state Congress chief Amit Chavda.

In an open threat to the state party leadership, Thakor had even said he would now play politics like a "shrewd person" as some party leaders were trying to "suppress" him and his Thakor community.

Recently, Thakor even went to Delhi to apprise the central party leadership about his grievances.

Latching on to his critical comments, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel had said Congress MLAs like Thakor, who wanted to defect, were "welcome in the BJP".