Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party was making Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel a mere “scapegoat” and blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 13 years of rule in the state for its present condition. Gandhi’s comments came after Gujarat chief minister Patel announced her resignation on Monday. He tweeted, "13 years of Modi rule, not 2 years of Anandiben, are responsible for Gujarat burning. Sacrificing the scapegoat won't save the BJP."

All India Congress Committee General Secretary and Gujarat in-charge Gurudas Kamat said that Patel should not be made the governor of any state or accommodated into the Union Cabinet. Congress veteran Shankersinh Vaghela said Patel resigned on the orders of the BJP's high command while Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel said it was a clear indication of BJP's "defeat" in the 2017 Gujarat Assembly elections, reported the Times of India.

Patel, who was Gujarat’s first woman chief minister, announced on Facebook that she would offer her resignation and said it was time for the BJP to place a young leader at the helm of affairs in the state. However, her exit is being seen as a result of the government’s mismanagement of two major uprisings in the state – first, the Patel agitation for reservation and then the Dalit protests following the assault on four tanners by cow vigilantes.