Why should Congress parade 44 MLAs when Gujarat is reeling from floods: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday questioned the opposition Congress for flying 44 of its MLAs to Bengaluru at a time when the state of Gujarat is reeling from floods.

Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told ANI, "Gujarat continues to reel from floods, but Congress representatives are busy parading their MLAs. The time when Gujarat needed the Congress, its public representatives were not present."

Naqvi further said that if the Congress MLAs are discontented with the party's functioning, then it is not the BJP's fault.

"If the Congress MLAs are unhappy with the functioning of the party, then it is not our fault. The situation in the Congress is disruptive. The public is rejecting the Congress. Their own MLAs are refusing to be a part of the party", he said.

BJP Gujarat unit president Jitu Vaghani said, "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 candidates. They have failed themselves."

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.

-ANI