 "Modi offered money to our MLAs: Congress")
"Today, there is a large scale corruption in Gujarat. He lures Congress MLAs with money. Why he lures them, what is the need for him, he already has 117 MLAs. In my opinion, he does it through corrupt practices and lures them by giving them money," senior party leader Dinsha Patel said here.
Yesterday, two Gujarat Congress MLAs had resigned from the party and from the legislative assembly. Later, they extended support to BJP. Five MLAs have quit Congress in a month for joining BJP.
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Patel, a Cabinet Minister in the UPA government holding Mines portfolio and a five-time MP from Gujarat, also questioned the source of funding of Modi's recent rallies.
"Money is being spent like anything, each and every rally costs Rs 4-5 crore. I don't know who funds him (Modi) but he does not own a bank.... There must be some industrialists who are funding him," he said.
Criticising Modi over his claims of developing Gujarat, Patel said that it is a propaganda. "He does very little but makes it look big. Gujarat is developed because of its people, everyone has participated in the development process."
He also cautioned that "if elected as Prime Minister, Modi will ruin the country as he has done with Gujarat".
An MP from Kheda in Gujarat, Dinsha Patel is among the Congressmen in the state who have held their ground despite the "Modi wave". He has won two parliamentary elections after Narendra Modi became Chief Minister of the state.
"Personally, he is not a factor for me. Everybody can aspire for the top post but let the results come in May, then you will see," he said.
Patel also rued that the Congress and the UPA government have not been able to promote themselves despite "doing so many good works" in the last 10 years..
"UPA's both terms were extremely good. I have not seen such development in my 45-year long political career. We have done so many goood things but have not been able to promote it," he said.