Remember Alpesh Thakor, the young leader who struck fear in the BJP in the run up to the 2017 Gujarat Assembly elections? Because of him, Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mewani, the saffron party almost shivered every day. It took Narendra Modi and Amit Shah to help the party win the elections.

Such a leader has now joined the BJP! Alpesh was once a bitter critic of Modi. He once said that Modi was dark-skinned in the past but since he eats exorbitant imported mushrooms every day, he has turned fair. "Modi eats mushrooms every day. Each mushroom costs Rs 80,000. He leads a luxurious lifestyle," Alpesh once said, angering BJP supporters.

With him joining the saffron party, some BJP supporters are aghast. Atul Mishra said, "I have always supported good guys from bad parties joining the BJP. But when absolutely loathsome guys like Babush and Alpesh join the party, it becomes extremely embarrassing and heartbreaking for somebody like me who has been a long-time supporter of the party."

The same party carried out a campaign against Alpesh in 2017. Paresh says, "Before the Gujarat elections, the leaders of BJP put up posters which said that voting for (H)ardik Patel, (A)lpesh Thakor and (J)ignesh Mevani is like voting for HAJ (snide remark to voting for Muslims)."