Dhanani to go on 75-day yatra from April 1

Gandhinagar: Paresh Dhanani, the leader of opposition in the Gujarat assembly, will launch a state-wide 75-day yatra (tour) from April 1. This is his first attempt to reach out to his Congress cadre and the public at large. Dhanani, 42, comes from the Leuva Patidar community and is trying to cement his position in the party. Should the Congress form a government in Gujarat, he is thought to be a contender for the CM’s post.
Dhanani plans to go on this yatra to raise issues like the water crisis, farmers’ discontentment, unemployment and other development issues. The yatra is slated to begin on April 1 and end on June 15. Dhanani plans to cover all 33 districts and 418 talukas of the state. Dhanani is calling it the ‘Samvad Yatra’ (dialogure tour) and he aims to have a dialogue with elected members and office bearers of all Congress units and local citizens.

Dhanani is a three-time MLA and is also a working president of the Gujarat Congress. He was hand picked by Rahul Gandhi for the LOP post, despite opposition with in the party.

Dhanani is from the numerically strong Leuva Patel community in Saurashtra. Contesting from Amreli, Dhanani has earned a name as an electoral giant killer, when in 2002, just 26 years old, he defeated former Gujarat BJP president and current Union minister Parshottam Rupala despite a major pro-BJP wave following the Godhra train carnage and the ensuing riots. Although Dhanani lost the 2007 assembly elections to senior BJP leader Dilip Sanghani, he made amends in 2012 by defeating Sanghani. In the 2017 elections, Dhanani defeated powerful BJP leader and former Congressman Bavuku Undhad.A former NSUI leader, Dhanani has also served as secretary on the All India Congress Committee (AICC). He has wide experience of national politics.

Signature campaign against Dhanani in Congress

A group of MLAs and senior Congress leaders, who opposed Dhanani’s appointment as leader of opposition, have reportedly started a signature campaign against Dhanani, intending to make a representation to Congress president Rahul Gandhi against Dhanani. Many senior MLAs have been noticed to have a not-too-respectful attitude towards Dhanani and treat him as a junior. Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki and more than a dozen senior Congress leaders are working against Dhanani. A dozen Congress MLAs are also in touch with BJP leaders, especially CM Vijay Rupani and deputy CM Nitin Patel. They do not cooperate with Dhanani within the house and outside.