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Gujarat MLAs exodus: Congress leadership a failure, says BJP President

He added that 'even with the flood situation in the state, Congress is playing politics'

Congress supporters

Congress supporters shouting anti-BJP slogan at Ahmedabad airport.

ANI Ahmedabad

In the wake of Congress MLAs quitting the party and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat, BJP state president Jitu Vaghani on Monday said that the grand old party has failed itself.

"Only to make one man win, the entire Congress is falling. There is no Congress leadership in the country now as its own members do not trust their own candidate. They have failed themselves," Vaghani told ANI.

He added that "even with the flood situation in the state, the Congress is playing politics."

Earlier on Sunday, the Congress accused the 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, 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."

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

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

The Congress had earlier said that the BJP is using "money, muscle and state power" to engineer defection, after at least six of its MLAs resigned 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.

In this backdrop, the Election Commission of India on Saturday sought an enquiry report from the Chief Secretary of Gujarat by Monday over the allegations made by the Congress.

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First Published: Jul 31 2017 | 11:30 AM IST

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