Rebel MP Kaushaliya Vaghela says Premier ‘hostile’ after faction defection

A former ALP MP has accused the Premier of “shunning” her and encouraging other members to bully her after she defected to the party’s Right faction.

Former Labor MP Kaushaliya Vaghela claims the Premier turned “hostile” towards her after she defected to another faction. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Rebel MP Kaushaliya Vaghela has accused a “close personal friend” of Daniel Andrews of orchestrating a bullying campaign against her.

In her latest attack on the Premier and his office, the former ALP MP used parliament to accuse Luckee Kohli, an associate of the Premier, of bullying her.

Ms Vaghela made a formal complaint to the Premier’s office in May last year, after which a former adviser to Mr Andrews, Vinayak Kolape, was sacked.

But Ms Vaghela was told no action could be taken against Mr Kohli or two other men named in the complaint.

Ms Vaghela has accused the group of threatening, intimidating, and harassing her after she defected to the party’s Right faction.

“Mr Luckee Kohli, were ring leaders of a group of men, who incessantly bullied, harassed and intimidated me,” she told parliament on Wednesday.

Vaghela is the member for the Western Metropolitan Region.

Andrews with Luckee Kohli.

“At events, they would stand over me and invade my space, pointing, laughing, mocking, and sneering at me.

“Their campaign extended to spreading nasty rumours, and excluding me from attending events, and undermining my position to do my job.

“Their strategy was, to bully, harass and intimidate me, to such a degree, that I would simply walk away from politics.”

Ms Vaghela has repeatedly insisted that a series of verbal complaints to senior staff inside the Premier’s office were ignored.

Mr Kolape remained employed by the office for almost six months after a formal written complaint was lodged.

In her speech to parliament Ms Vaghela accused the Premier of shunning her after she left his Socialist Left faction ahead of the 2018 election.

“Before I left the SL, the Premier and I had a good relationship. However, when I became a member of his caucus, the Premier was a different man towards me,” she said.

“He was hostile, he would not speak or acknowledge me. He treated me like I was invisible.

“Despite knowing my bullying complaints, against Mr Kohli and Mr Kolape and their friends, the Premier would brush past me at events, and publicly embrace the bullies and their friends, as if, to reward and encourage their bullying behaviour.

“I continued to make complaints, because I was scared, not because I was crazy, or irrational,” she said.

Vaghela with Daniel Andrews.

“I complained because I sensed that the bullying would lead to violence of some form at some stage. I feared that something was going to happen, because their actions were openly hostile.”

A WorkSafe investigation has been launched into the allegations.

Ms Vaghela said she would give the workplace safety watchdog a dossier of material this week.

Mr Andrews denied any wrongdoing.

“I do not, nor have I ever, nor would I ever conduct myself in that way,” he said.

“And if anyone needs further evidence of that, have a look at the record of my time in this place, and the record of our government.

“I reject these claims, I reject these assertions, and I think I have made my position and the position of the government abundantly clear.”

Responding to the allegations when they were first revealed by the Herald Sun last month Mr Andrews referred to Ms Vaghela only as “that person”.

“The premier, referring to me as that person, summed up his three years of interaction with me,” Ms Vaghela said.

“By calling me that person, he stripped me of my name and my identity, therefore making me feel worthless.

“Exactly how he made me feel, in the three years of interactions I have had with him.

“Leaders set the culture and standards of organisations. The premier made it clear that I was persona-non-grata after I left the SL, and the rest felt, they had a licence to go after me.”\

Mr Kohli has not responded to requests for comment.

Ms Williams said the allegations levelled at her were politically motivated.

“More than 18 months ago I was the subject of a vile and vicious misogynistic tirade by Adem Somyurek, which was broadcast on national television,” she said.

“That attack is now being continued in the media and in Parliament, by proxy.

“I vehemently repudiate these politically motivated allegations.”