‘Bullied' Labor MP Kaushaliya Vaghela quits party, shifts to crossbench

Rebel MP Kaushaliya Vaghela has resigned from the Labor Party claiming Premier Daniel Andrews took part in a “systemic bullying” campaign against her.

Rebel MP Kaushaliya Vaghela has quit the ALP amid new claims Daniel Andrews and minister for women Gabrielle Williams bullied her.

Ms Vaghela resigned from the party on Monday saying it was “no longer an organisation that I wish to have an association with.”

She will join the upper house crossbench when parliament resumes this week.

Ms Vaghela has claimed she was subjected to years of bullying within the Victorian Labor Party and said repeated complaints to the Premier’s office were ignored.

She will this week move a motion asking the upper house to note “the systemic bullying, harassment, and intimidation campaign.”

She will also accuse the Premier and Ms Williams of participating “in the systemic bullying campaign ... by seeking to undermine, isolate and exclude” her.

Labor MP Kaushaliya Vaghela has accused the Labor government and Daniel Andrews of bullying. Picture: David Caird

Ms Vaghela will further move that the Premier’s private office refused to take action for two and a half years.

Mr Andrews’ office has repeatedly insisted swift action was taken after a formal written complaint was lodged in relation to former adviser Vinayak Kolape in May last year.

The Herald Sun revealed this week Mr Kolape was given other office duties and told to stay away from Ms Vaghela, but remained employed for almost six months after the complaint was lodged.

Ms Vaghela has accused Mr Kolape, and a number of his associates, of threatening, intimidating, and harassing her after she defected to the party’s Right faction.

“They wanted to break me mentally, physically, and psychologically,” she told the Saturday Herald Sun.

“They thought if they did this I would get tired and walk away, they wanted me to walk away. I was determined not to.”

Mr Andrews’ office has insisted swift action was taken after a formal written complaint was lodged in relation to former adviser Vinayak Kolape last year. Picture: Facebook

In her formal written complaint Ms Vaghela said she feared for her safety .

“Vinayak in collaboration with this gang actively sidelines me, undermines my role in the Indian community, defames me and my husband, excludes me from events - and his gang surrounds me at events which is a constant harassment to me,” she wrote.

“Everyone knows that Vinayak’s real job is to undermine me to such an extent, that I have a mental breakdown and I walk away from the role of MP.”

But he remained employed by the Premier’s office until November 3 last year, almost six months after the written complaint was lodged by Ms Vaghela on May 16.

Mr Kolape has vehemently denied “each and every allegation” made by Ms Vaghela.

Comments was sought from Mr Andrews and Ms Williams.

Originally published as ‘Bullied' Labor MP Kaushaliya Vaghela quits party, shifts to crossbench