Vadodara City BJP President Sparks Controversy with ‘Jiska Saath, Uska Vikas’ Statement

VADODARA : Vadodara City BJP president Dr. Vijay Shah has ignited a storm of controversy with his recent statement, which appears to deviate from the BJP’s inclusive slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ (Together with All, Development for All) to ‘Jiska Saath, Uska Vikas’ (Development for Those Who Support Us). Addressing a gathering at the felicitation event for newly elected Vadodara BJP MP Dr. Hemang Joshi on Sunday, Dr. Shah suggested that development efforts should be concentrated in areas and booths where the BJP has received votes.

The contentious remarks were made during an event organized to honor Dr. Hemang Joshi in Raopura assembly constituency. Dr. Shah advised that elected representatives prioritize working in areas that have consistently supported the BJP in various elections. “We should clearly state that whether it is the 2019, 2020 corporation elections, the 2022 assembly elections, or the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party consistently receives votes from certain booths. I am referring to the Rampura Assembly. There are booths where we consistently receive no votes or very few votes,” Dr. Shah asserted.

He elaborated, “In some booths, we received single-digit votes out of a potential 800-1000. Elected representatives should consider where to prioritize their efforts. Don’t use our budget money to work in areas where we haven’t received votes for the last five, ten, or even fifteen years. Now is the time for us to think.”

The statement quickly drew reactions, with BJP MLA Yogesh Patel attempting to mitigate the fallout. Patel distanced himself from Dr. Shah’s remarks, stating, “It is not necessary for the city to follow the orders of the BJP president. That would be his personal ideology, and he may have made such a statement. I do not agree with his statement at all.”

Patel stated about the non-discriminatory stance he takes as an elected official. “When we become MLAs and take an oath in the assembly, we do not discriminate between caste and creed. All castes have an equal right to development works. There should be no BJP-Congress distinction in development work. There has not been a single Muslim MLA in the city till date, but I have served all voters, keeping all communities together. I have also done the work for those who did not vote for me. Votes will increase only if we work for the people,” he added.