Keshubhai launches new political party, targets Modi

Announcing the launch of the party that could signal a realignment of anti-Modi forces, 83-year-old Patel, a known baiter of the BJP strongman, said his party GPP would contest all the 182 seats in Gujarat assembly elections due to be held by the end of this year.

"Our party will bring about a change in the present political scenario of the state," said Patel, who resigned from BJP last Saturday in the wake of differences with Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Patel accused Modi of compromising with the honour and integrity of the state and declared that his party would strive to restore it.

Patel, who belongs to the numerically important Patel community, has been named as founder chairman of the new party.

The former chief minister had helped bring the BJP to power in Gujarat for the first time in 1995.

Patel also announced that Maha Gujarat Janta Party formed by former Minister of State for Home Gordhan Zadafia, another Modi baiter, would soon merge with the new party.

Zadafia said that many workers and even leaders from the BJP and Congress were likely to join the GPP.

The office bearers of GPP would be appointed later, he said.

To a question on RSS support to him, Patel said that RSS was a non-political organisation and never declared its support to any political party.

"Our party would follow the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, Ravishankar Maharaj, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Indulal Yagnik," he observed.