The Congress on Wednesday accused the BJP of attempting to bring down its government in Madhya Pradesh using money and power, and said such conspiracies were a "blot on democracy".
The opposition party also said it was hopeful of the Supreme Court taking cognisance of the issue and that the BJP will not succeed in toppling the Madhya Pradesh government.
BJP leaders in Madhya Pradesh have allegedly taken eight MLAs to a hotel in Haryana as part of a conspiracy to topple the state government, Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Minister Jitu Patwari said.
Patwari's statement came hours after Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh claimed that a senior leader of the saffron party has taken a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator to Delhi in a chartered flight, alleging that "poaching" attempts were being made by the BJP on Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh.
Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said "trampling upon the Constitution" has become the character of the BJP.
"Where they can't ally, they indulge in breaking (MLAs)," he said.
More From This Section
They cannot swallow the fact that the people have ordered them to stay away from power, Surjewala tweeted.
"The BJP's conspiracy to hijack the mandate in Madhya Pradesh will never succeed," he said.
Congress spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil said that in a democracy, it is the people who decide whose government is to be formed.
"But you look at Gujarat, you look at Karnataka, Goa, Manipur or Meghalaya. Through demonetisation, BJP's coffers are filled with black money. They are using black money to bring down a government that has been chosen by the people," Gohil alleged.
"This is being done on the orders of these two people (Modi-Shah). I have full confidence that they will not succeed in Madhya Pradesh," Gohil said.
He expressed hope that the Supreme Court would pull up those indulging in such acts.
"Constitutional Amendment was made (to ensure) that horse-trading does not take place, but Modi-Shah duo considers it their birthright to indulge in this," he said.
"These conspiracies to bring down the government on the basis of money and misuse of power are a blot on democracy and they (BJP) will not succeed in Madhya Pradesh," Gohil said.
According to media reports, Digvijaya and his minister son Jaivardhan Singh also reached the Haryana hotel to meet the MLAs.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath told PTI, "Things are under control. There is nothing like that. The MLAs will come back".
According to the Congress sources, among the eight MLAs who have been taken to Haryana, four are from the Congress, one is an Independent lawmaker, while the rest of them are from the BSP and the SP.
They said that woman BSP MLA Rambai was allegedly manhandled when Congress ministers reached the hotel to meet her.