X: @the_news_21
The political drama surrounding the alleged betrayal of Congress’ Surat Lok Sabha candidate Nilesh Kumbhani has taken a new twist with senior party leader Kadir Pirzada being dragged into the controversy.
According to Dr. Hari Desai, a veteran journalist and political analyst in Gujarat, it was Pirzada, the Working President of Gujarat Congress, who proposed Kumbhani’s name to GPCC chief Shaktisinh Gohil for the Surat Lok Sabha seat around three months ago. Desai claims Pirzada was the sole person to recommend Kumbhani to the party high command.
Revealing details on his YouTube channel, Desai stated that a plan was hatched two months back, wherein Pirzada pushed for Kumbhani’s candidature in Surat Lok Sabha, while Bharatsinh Solanki, who was overseeing the seat, was shunted to Jammu and Kashmir despite wanting to contest from Anand.
“It seems Solanki is not to be blamed here. Kumbhani’s name was proposed by only one person – Kadir Pirzada,” alleged Desai.
The senior journalist also raked up Pirzada’s 2022 controversial remarks questioning the disproportionate focus on Patidar leaders Naresh and Hardik Patel, who form only 11% of Gujarat’s population. This had irked the influential community, leading many Patidars to leave Congress for BJP.
“It would be impressive if Pirzada showed courage by himself contesting from Surat Lok Sabha and winning the seat for Congress, instead of just proposing Kumbhani’s name as part of a larger scheme,” Desai remarked.
Pirzada, known for his proximity to late Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Sonia Gandhi, refuted the claims vehemently. Talking to Free Press Journal, the former Surat mayor said, “The allegations against me are baseless. I did not suggest Kumbhani’s name to the party at all. The candidate selection process in Congress is elaborate.”
Shifting focus to the BJP, Pirzada stated, “Political analysts like Desai seem to be missing the core issue of BJP’s undemocratic acts of abducting and bribing Kumbhani’s proposers to submit false signatures, subverting Surat’s voting rights.”
The Kumbhani episode has snowballed into a major embarrassment for Congress in PM Modi’s homestate, raising questions on internal party dynamics and candidate selection ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha polls.
