Singh tries hand at making peace

Significantly, veteran co-operative leader and former RJP revenue minister Atmaram Patel, accompanied by former energy minister Vipul Chaudhary, were present. Vaghela had also invited senior Congress leaders Amarsinh Chaudhary and Prabodh Raval to the lunch, but they are attending the AICC session in New Delhi.

Singh, believed to be closer to Congress president Sonia Gandhi at whose instance he successfully contested the Sherdol Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh recently, is keen that the Congress and the RJP join hands to counter the BJP in Gujarat.

His meeting with the RJP leaders assumes great political significance in view of the fact he is conversant with the Gujarat politics and his anti-BJP stance he had shown during his two-year tenure as the Governor.

"The BJP’s influence is on the wane as had been amply established by the party’s total rout in the just concluded Assembly elections in Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. And, if the Opposition parties, mainly the Congress and the RJP, join hands in Gujarat, the BJP may meet the same fate in case the Lok Sabha snap polls take place in the months to come", Singh told Express Newsline.

After the lunch, Singh was closeted with Atmaram Patel for a few minutes and reportedly persuaded the veteran co-operative leader to either join the Congress or return to the RJP in the "larger interests of Gujaratand to effectively counter the BJP in the State".

The former revenue minister, however, told Express Newsline that he was still in two minds whether to cross over to the Congress or rejoin Vaghela’s RJP.

When asked, Vaghela said “efforts are on to persuade Atmaram kaka to rejoin our party, and I am hopeful that the veteran leader will do so”.

He said he or his party leaders were not averse to coming closer to the Congress to take on “our common enemy (BJP) in case mid-term polls take place in the State”.

The outcome of the Bharuch by-poll should prove an eye opener for both the Congress and the RJP, and there was nothing wrong if the two jointly contest the two forthcoming Assembly by-elections in Saurashtra by sharing the seats. The seats have fallen vacant following the death of BJP ministers Savji Korat and Maganbhai Kasundra.

Singh is all for the speedy and effective implementation of the Sardar Sarovar Dam project, despite the alleged non-cooperation by his own party government under Digvijay Singh in Madhya Pradesh. Singh, who has been elected to the MP Assembly, assured the RJP leaders today that he would raise the issue in the coming Assembly session and press for early implementation of the project. He told RJP leaders, including Vaghala, Dilip Parikh and Madhusudan Mistry, that the issue could be sorted out through negotiations between political leaders of the neighbouring States. Singh’s stand on the SSP had been positive during his tenure as Gujarat Governor.