I-T raids an attempt to terrorise Congress MLAs, says Bharatsinh Solanki

Solanki made the remarks while explaining circumstances under which Congress was forced to take its MLAs to a Bengaluru resort to thwart “BJP’s efforts of engineering defections” ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections on August 8.

Bharatsinh Solanki

Alleging that the ruling BJP was “misusing power”, Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki on Wednesday said the searches carried out by the I-T Department at properties linked to Karnataka minister D K Shivakumar, who has been overseeing the stay of 44 Gujarat Congress MLAs at the Bengaluru resort, were to “terrorise the MLAs” of the Opposition. He said it was the “professional duty of the media to expose BJP’s misdeeds”. He also said that Congress MLAs currently camping at a Bengaluru resort would return for Rakshabandhan on August 7, a day ahead of the crucial Rajya Sabha elections.

Solanki made the remarks while explaining circumstances under which Congress was forced to take its MLAs to a Bengaluru resort to thwart “BJP’s efforts of engineering defections” ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections on August 8. As many as six Congress MLAs recently have quit the party and also resigned from the Assembly.

He alleged that “BJP is threatening the family members of the Congress MLAs who have shifted to Bengaluru to avoid poaching efforts by BJP ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections”.

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He said the media should give elaborate coverage to how the BJP is “misusing the political power to allure the opposition MLAs”.

“Congress MLAs are committed and nothing can weaken their resolve in defending democracy,” said Solanki. When asked about the MLAs’ return from Bengaluru, he said, “they will certainly return to celebrate Rakshabandhan festival”.

Solanki said that there is a possibility of two BJP Rajya Sabha candidates — Amit Shah and Balwant Singh — winning the elections. “However, there is possibility of Smriti Irani losing the elections,” said Solanki. “It will be the biggest setback for BJP at national level.”

The state Congress president claimed there are groups working within BJP to ensure defeat of Irani. “I am confident that Congress candidate Ahmed Patel will win,” he asserted. A candidate requires 45 MLAs to win after the strength of the Assembly came down to 176 after six Congress MLAs resigned.

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Congress claims to have the support of 44 of its own MLAs, besides lone JD(U) MLA and two NCP MLAs. While Congress has objected to the NOTA option in the Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat, Solanki claimed BJP was it itself is “afraid that its own MLAs may opt for NOTA which may result in defeat of its own candidates”.

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