GANDHINAGAR, OCT 1: The countdown to the ouster of the Shankarsinh Vaghela Government in Gujarat began today with the Congress deciding to withdraw support and the beleaguered Chief Minister rushing to Governor Krishnapal Singh and urging dissolution of the Assembly, if such an eventuality arose.Congress Legislature Party leader Amarsinh Chaudhary and other State party leaders met the Governor late in the night for about half-an-hour and the outcome of the meeting was awaited.``It is a matter of a few hours; the decision has been taken. Vaghela has to go,'' said Chaudhary before meeting the Governor. Chaudhary and Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee president C D Patel accused Vaghela of pursuing his ``blind ambition'' and adopting an ``autocratic style of functioning'' which had finally forced the Congress to jettison him. The CLP leader said Vaghela had taken the Congress for granted and left it with no option.Chaudhary was in constant touch with AICC President Sitaram Kesri and waiting for a final nod to submit the letter of withdrawal of support to the Governor at 6.30 p.m. But, apparently, the high command decided against precipitating a political upheaval on Gandhi Jayanti Day tomorrow, giving Vaghela a breather.Chaudhary and Patel indicated that the Congress may settle for a change in leadership. They said the issue was open if Vaghela came forward with a ``Gujral type of formula''. A change in leadership may help in keeping the BJP at bay even while dealing with Vaghela, they argued.The Chief Minister's sudden decision to postpone his plan to bifurcate about half-a-dozen districts and 48 talukas in Gujarat tomorrow is being seen as linked to the crisis. The decision had been taken without consulting the Congress.Vaghela was closeted with the Governor, with whom he enjoys a very good rapport - which has been a sore point with some Congress leaders - for 10 minutes. He is reported to have recommended dissolution of the Assembly if Congress withdrew support.But publicly he put up a brave front, dismissing the crisis as ``a rumour spread by some vested interests in the Congress''. Both he and the Governor denied that any recommendation for dissolution of the Assembly had been made, with Vaghela describing his visit as just a ``courtesy call without any political motive''.But he betrayed his fear by raising the issue of the BJP taking advantage of the situation. ``Even if the Congress wants to withdraw support to my government, I am sure the party leaders will do so with a national perspective and ensure that the BJP does not benefit,'' he said.``I have assured Kesriji of winning at least 20 of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in the State if the Congress and my RJP jointly met the challenge,'' he said.However, today the Congress leaders were not taking the bait. Chaudhary was quick to assert that Vaghela cannot recommend dissolution of the House. ``According to the Constitution, only if the Chief Minister enjoys a majority can he recommend dissolution. Vaghela should remember that his is a minority government and the Congress is the main pillar. He has often taken haphazard decisions on his own but this time the Constitution will not allow him to do so,'' he said.Chaudhary and Patel also debunked Vaghela's plea about the BJP rather than the Congress capitalising on the situation. They said the Congress had decided to extend support to Vaghela's MJP Government 11 months back believing that this BJP rebel would help in eroding the BJP's influence in Gujarat. ``But he has done the maximum damage to the Gujarat Congress,'' they charged.
