Gujarat Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil at the press conference in Bengaluru (ANI) Gujarat Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil at the press conference in Bengaluru (ANI)

Promising to parade its Gujarat MLAs before the media in a show of strength, the Congress on Sunday accused the BJP of trying to buy out its party legislators before the Rajya Sabha elections. The Congress has sent 44 of its legislators to a resort outside Bengaluru. Of the 57 Congress MLAs in Gujarat, six resigned from the party in the last two days. Three of them joined the BJP yesterday.

“Democracy is passing through trying times. I would request media owners, channels and newspapers to save democracy. This responsibility lies with them too. We will bring all the legislators before you (media) and you can ask anything you want,” AICC spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil told reporters at Eagleton Gold Resort at the city’s outskirts.

“I am here since last night with my colleagues. We are living like a family. You (BJP) are talking about the internal problem? Just see how we respect each other. There is no internal problem or bickerings between us,” he said.

Accusing the BJP of trying to buy out his party MLAs, Gohil said, “Ask these MLAs the way they are threatened, they chose to stand by the party even when offered Rs 15 crore.” Gohil accused the BJP of threatening party members. “We have required numbers. There is no need for us to stay here (in Bengaluru) for even a minute if they say they won’t threaten us,” he said.

Reacting to reports of Congress leaders switching off cell phones and being unavailable to the public on purpose, Gohil said, “When there was flood in Banaskantha, my MLAs were there with people but no BJP minister, leader or CM were there.”

Reacting to the Congress’ accusations of democracy being threatened, BJP chief Amit Shah volleyed back, saying, “Be it any party, it must always maintain its internal democracy. If it doesn’t do so, it can’t serve the democracy of the nation.”

BJP chief Amit Shah in UP on Sunday (ANI) BJP chief Amit Shah in UP on Sunday (ANI)

The Congress in Gujarat had flown MLAs to Karnataka allegedly for fear of them abandoning ship and joining the BJP ahead of RS polls. After veteran Shakarsingh Vaghela quit the party, three Congress MLAs followed suit and resigned from the party to join the ruling BJP.

Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP leader Vijay Rupani had criticised the Congress for being an unstable party. “They have taken their MLAs to Bangalore as they do not have faith in their MLAs,” Rupani had said.

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