Congress claims BJP tried to bribe its 22 MLAs by offering Rs 15 crore

Bengaluru: Launching a blistering attack on the BJP, while parading Gujarat Congress MLAs before the media at a resort here in a show of strength, Gujarat Congress leader and AICC spokesperson, Shakti Sinh Gohil on Sunday charged that BJP leaders had offered Rs 15 crore per MLA to cross over to their side ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled for August 8.

Speaking to reporters at the plush resort where 44 Congress MLAs have been accommodated, Mr Gohil claimed the BJP has tried to purchase 22 MLAs by offering Rs 15 crore for cross-voting during the Upper House polls which was why the MLAs had shifted from their home state to Bengaluru to stay safe.

“Democracy is passing through testing times. I request the media to save democracy. We have all of them here, you can ask them anything you want,” Mr Gohil asserted. All 44 MLAs were present at the briefing

The spokesperson added that he was here since Saturday night with his colleagues. “We are living like a family. Where are the internal problems the BJP is talking about? Just see how we respect each other,” he retorted.

He said that even when the MLAs were threatened (by the BJP), they chose to stand by the party. “Had our party MLAs not been threatened, what was the need for us to stay here (in Bengaluru) even for a minute?” he asked.

Reacting sharply to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s charge that internal problems in the Congress were responsible for six MLAs quitting the party, Mr Gohil claimed that the Congress has the numbers to ensure the victory of senior party leader Ahmed Patel in the Rajya Sabha polls.

Reacting to reports of Congress leaders switching off their mobiles and being unavailable to the public who are now facing flood fury in Gujarat, Mr Gohil wondered where the Gujarat Chief Minister was when there were floods in Banaskantha.