Senior BJP leaders would turn on Prime Minister Narendra Modi if the results of the upcoming Assembly elections in five states were not favourable, Congress leader Ahmed Patel today said, even as he conceded that the Gujarat polls would be the last chance for his party.
Patel accused Modi of running the Central government like a "dictator" and said senior BJP leaders and cabinet colleagues were waiting for an opportunity to turn on him.
"On radio, he (Modi) talked about republic and democracy. Narendra bhai has nothing to do with this. All he knows is dictatorship. (When he was Gujarat CM) Nobody from BJP or those in the cabinet could raise voice against him.
"BJP leaders are quiet for now, but they are waiting to take out their swords. Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Murli Manohar Joshi, (Arun) Jaitley are waiting for the results of elections in five states. Lal Krishna Advani has been waiting for longer," Patel, political adviser to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, said.
Elections have been announced in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
"They (BJP leaders) are fed up. Government officials are fed up because he (Modi) holds meeting everyday and won't let anyone speak. He has no interest in what impact his decisions have on public, country's economy, all he craves is publicity, a chance to speak," he said in a veiled attack on the Prime Minister over the decision of demonetisation.
Asking the party workers to start preparing for Assembly elections in Gujarat, which are due in later part of 2017, the Congress leader said it was the last opportunity for the party to revive its fortunes in the BJP-ruled state.
"Winning Gujarat election is a question of our existence. They (BJP) came to power in Delhi through Gujarat, and it is their base. Just focus on working because it is never if not now," he said at a'Jan Vedna' rally here on demonetisation.
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"Rahul Gandhi is right to say that demonetisation is the world's biggest scam. Those who had black money managed to exchange it on 20-30-40 per cent commission....People died standing in line and here they exchanged money by backdoor. It is a matter of investigation where so much money came from," Ahmed Patel said.
"Nobody has benefited from note ban, but middle class and poor have suffered losses," he said, saying that the decision curtailed people's rights by putting limitations on withdrawal of one's own money.
Patel gave a call for a state-wide agitation under Jan Vedana Sangharsh Samiti under which Congress will organise protests across 182 Assembly constituencies in Gujarat, holding 'mock Panchayats' where questions will be posed to an empty chair standing for the PM.
"We invite him (Modi) to reply to our questions. The note ban decision was not done with any planning. How much money was deposited prior to announcement, who deposited the money, and who had the idea of the decision beforehand. All this is a matter of investigation," Patel said.
The Congress leader also said that demonetisation hit the credibility of Reserve Bank of India.
"I feel ashamed to say that Urjit Patel, a Gujarati, is playing into his (PM's) hands and cheated people. It is Reverse Bank Of India, not Reserve Bank. (At Vibrant Gujarat Global Sumit) The RBI Governor had to run from backdoor, so angry the people are because of false promises," he said.
Patel also termed MoUs signed at Vibrant Gujarat Summits as "Mystery of Understanding," for people were not able to understand what these MoUs were about.
"For the first time the country' PM has used RBI as his personal property. I would like to say this is not your personal property. Congress has made sacrifices to make the country free, give it economic freedom. Congress and its workers are ready to make
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