Hyderabad: Congress leader Shabbir Ali said the “manipulative politics” allegedly indulged in by the BJP, its NDA partners and new supporting parties was exhibited during the Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat.
Speaking to mediapersons here, Mr Shabbir Ali, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, said that it was a “shame” that all those who spoke loftily about morals and principles in the public domain remained spectators when the bigwigs of the BJP exploited the official machinery of the Gujarat government with to defeat Congress leader Ahmed Patel in the Rajya Sabha election.
He said the partners of the BJP in the south — the TRS and the TD — had reduced the importance of democratic and constitutionally guaranteed institutions like the Assembly. He said Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao gave a ministerial berth to a defector while AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had given four.
“This episode has proved that Mr Amit Shah is not a magician and that his magic wand has lost its lustre and charm.” The RS elections have set the trend for the elections in Gujarat,” he said.
