BJP MLA resigns in protest against non-inclusion in list

Gandhinagar, Nov 20 (UNI) Unhappy over the party's decision not to retain him as a candidate for next month's Gujarat assembly elections, Dhanraj Kela, BJP MLA from Wadhwan constituency in Surendra district, submitted his resignation to the Speaker Mangaldas Patel today.

Mr Kela has also resigned from the primary membership of the BJP.

The party declared its first list of 74 candidates for the december 11 polls last Sunday, in which it dropped 13 sitting MLAs.

Mr Kela told UNI that the he had resigned from the the party because his non-inclusion in the list of candidates had no valid reason except that Chief Minister Narendra Modi wanted to act as 'Hitler to rule certain people at his whim and will''.

''I am in touch with Uma Bharati and have already joined her party, Bharatiya Jan Shakti Party (BJSP). Tomorrow, I am going to file my nomination as BJSP candidate from my home constituency of Wadhwan city,'' he said.

'I am still a strong follower of RSS and VHP ideologies and will continue to work for betterment of Hinduism. In fact, it is Mr Modi who has diverted himself from the basic ideology of the BJP,'' Mr Kela claimed.

UNI