Congress's Hardik Patel said Vijay Rupani quitting is a sign Gujarat is in trouble
The Congress said the resignation of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is an attempt to "mislead the people of the state" and "hide complete failure in running the government."
Mr Rupani became the fourth BJP leader to step down as Chief Minister of a party-ruled state in six months. He quit a year ahead of elections in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state.
"With the resignation of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in Gujarat, it is now clear that the BJP has proved to be a complete failure in running the government in Gujarat. Due to lack of oxygen during Covid crisis, the image of Gujarat has been tarnished all over the world by the horrific pictures coming from the state's crematoriums," Gujarat Congress chief Hardik Patel said in a statement today.
"The people of the state are troubled by ever-increasing inflation, crisis faced by traders, rising unemployment, shutting down of industries. For how long would the Gujarat government, running from Delhi's remote control, hide its failure?" Mr Patel said.
"In Gujarat, for the first time since 2014, a situation has emerged that needed the change of Chief Minister... But the real change will come after the elections next year, when the people will uproot the BJP from power," he said.
Mr Rupani's resignation follows that of BS Yediyurappa in Karnataka in July and Tirath Singh Rawat quitting barely four months after replacing Trivendra Rawat in Uttarakhand.
Sources have said that in Gujarat, Mansukh Mandaviya, who was just sworn in as Union Health Minister in July, and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel are possible replacements.
BJP Mahila Morcha leader Sharda Kumari in a post on Indian microblogging website Koo asked people in a poll who would they want as Gujarat's next chief minister - Mansukh Mandaviya or Nitin Patel.
Mr Rupani resigned, sources further said, after the party's central leadership expressed dissatisfaction with his performance; sources have called this a "course correction" by a BJP eager to change things around if it feels unsure in its state leadership.