New Delhi: Gujarat Congress in-charge Ashok Gehlot has fired a salvo at former party leader Shankersinh Vaghela by accusing him of "betraying" the party at the behest of the ruling BJP.

Gehlot said it was a mistake to keep Vaghela in the Congress for two decades. Addressing Youth Congress workers at a function, Gehlot lashed out at Vaghela for "orchestrating" cross-voting during the recent Rajya Sabha polls and triggering defection of MLAs. He said Vaghela was acting as per the instructions of the ruling BJP.

"We now realise that it was a big mistake to keep Vaghela in the party for the last 20 years. We not only gave him respect, but also made him Union minister, president of the state unit and also the leader of opposition in the Gujarat Assembly," he said.

Gehlot said Vaghela had assured that he will work as a "disciplined soldier" of the Congress when he joined the party 20 years ago. "When he joined Congress 20 years ago, he gave an assurance that he will never leave the party. But, he didn't keep his word and betrayed the party," the former Rajasthan chief minister said.

Gehlot claimed Vaghela had deliberately laid "impractical conditions" ahead of the August 8 Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat "so as to take forward the agenda of the BJP".

Vaghela had said that he would extend his support to Congress candidate Ahmed Patel only if Gehlot takes back the "allegations" that Vaghela had quit the party because the BJP was blackmailing him in the name of CBI.

"Vaghela knew that Congress will never accept his demands. He was only rehearsing the script given to him by the BJP. Though he had promised to vote Patel, he reneged on his own words. It reflected his double standards," Gehlot said. He said hewas more than happy to get rid of such "corrupt and opportunist" people.

"It will not make any difference to the party. Since Vaghela is not in Congress now, he will try to harm our party during the Assembly polls. But, I am confident that Congress will win power this time," he said.