Rift within the Gujarat unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party widened on Wednesday with 6 senior members of legislative assembly, who were known detractors of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, resigned from various committees of the legislative assembly saying that they were "choked" with the environment within the party.
The six MLAs--Gordhan Zadafiya, Dalsukh Patel, Dilip Patel, Bechar Badhani, Dhiru Gajera and Dhanraj Kella--have sent their resignation to the assembly speaker and expressed their opinions on various issues within the party and the administration, sources in the dissident camp said.
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"I am resigning from an assembly committee because juniors are being promoted. I have been the president of the committee earlier also and now I see that juniors are being promoted," Gajera, who represents Surat and is one of the most vocal dissidents, told reporters.
Gajera, who was member of the estimates committee and also headed the sansadiya nivas samiti or the MLAs quarters committee, also complained that his questions were being neglected during the three-day monsoon session.
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The disgruntled MLA said others who had resigned were also of the common opinion that statements made by Modi at Mobri, where he indirectly attacked his detractors, and the insulting incidents concerning senior party leader Kashiram Rana were among reasons behind their resignation.
The dissidents, who have been seeking Modi's ouster, cornered the government during the on-going assembly session with a woman MLA threatening self-immolation in the House if she was 'neglected'.
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The dissidents have also been seeking a probe into the wealth of cabinet ministers.
Leaders of the anti-Modi faction have been furious after seniors like Rana and Keshubhai Patel were insulted and humiliated during public functions of the party in the recent past.
Another MLA has clearly said on the floor of the House during a discussion on the Right to Information Bill that MLAs were not getting information appropriately and most have had to wait for long time.