Gujarat: Congress accuses BJP of horse-trading before Rajya Sabha polls

With Gujarat Congress MLAs quitting and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the grand old party on Friday accused the saffron party in the state of horse-trading ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for August 8.

"Crores of rupees have been spent in horse-trading in Gujarat by the BJP. One Congress Gujarat MLA Punabhai Gamit has said he was offered Rs. 10 crore by the BJP to join hands with them," Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said in a press conference.

He added that the Anti-Defection Law is supreme, and repeatedly the Supreme Court has called defection a constitutional sin.

The comments come after at least six Congress MLAs in Gujarat resigned from the party to join the BJP.

Earlier in the day, two Congress MLAs - Maan Singh Chouhan and Sana Bhai Choudhari - offered their resignations.

This came a day after three Congress MLAs - P.I. Patel, Balwantsinh Rajput and Tejashree Patel - quit the party and joined the BJP.

Rajput is a relative of former chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela, who quit the Congress last week, while P.I. Patel was the Congress legislator from Vijapur.

Speaking on the issue, Gujarat Assembly Speaker Ramanbhai Vora said that nine MLAs have given resignation since yesterday, but he received only five resignations in paper.

"I got the resignation of the three MLAs of Gujarat yesterday. Sana Bhai Choudhari gave me his resignation. Maan Singh Chauhan gave me his resignation today. No one has asked for the time, whoever will come to my office, I will talk to them," he added.

-ANI