Gujarat MLAs threatened, offered Rs 15 crore to join BJP: Congress

Bengaluru: The Congress Party on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of buying and threatening their MLAs in Gujarat for Rs 15 crore and paraded its 44 MLAs who are camping in Bengaluru.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, senior Congress MLA from Gujarat Shaktisinh Gohil said, "Ask these MLAs the way they are threatened, they chose to stand by party even when offered Rs 15 crore."

He said BJP is doing horse-trading and we are trying to protect the democracy.

"BJP is hitting below the belt; we are fighting to protect democracy. We have required numbers. There is no need for us to stay here (Bengaluru) for even a minute if they (BJP) say, they won't threaten," Gohil said.

Hitting back at the BJP, the Congress leader further said, "When there was flood in Banaskantha, my MLAs were there with people but no BJP minister, leader or chief minister was there."

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had accused the Congress of being insensitive and irresponsible, and said that they have sent their 44 MLAs to stay in a 5-star hotel in Bengaluru, while Gujarat is facing floods.

Gohil, however, defended the party's decision to keep the Gujarat MLAs in Bengaluru and said, “There’s no need for us to stay here (Bengaluru) for even a minute if they say they won't threaten”.

Gohil further said that they have also managed to establish contact with seven Congress MLAs, who were reportedly inaccessible.

"Seven MLAs (Member of Legislative Assembly) are in our contact, their conscience is awakening. We have requested them not to come in people's tricky ways, stick to the party," Gohil said.

Earlier, the Congress had said that BJP is using "money, muscle and state power" to engineer defections, after at least six of its MLAs (Member of Legislative Assembly) had resigned from the party to join the BJP.

The party on July 28 flew 44 of its MLAs to Bengaluru to stop more of them from switching over to the BJP.