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Gujarat cannot be bought by the BJP, Patidar agitation Hardik Patel tweeted on 23 October, after his key aide Narendra Patel alleged that the BJP offered him Rs 1 crore to join the party.
Patel said:
Narendra Patel, the convener of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti in north Gujarat, made the allegations at a late night press conference on Sunday, 22 October, hours after he joined the BJP.
He alleged he was paid a sum of Rs 10 lakh in advance on Sunday and was promised that the remaining amount would be paid by 23 October.
At the press conference, he displayed a pile of currency notes and said he was offered the deal through Varun Patel, another key aide of Hardik Patel who had also earlier joined the BJP.
Narendra said:
Soon after, Nikhil Sawani, a Patidar leader who had recently joined the party, announced his decision to quit the BJP. He told reporters:
Newly-inducted BJP leader Varun Patel brushed away the allegations. “Why did he display only Rs 10 lakhs during the press conference, why not Rs 1 crore? The Patidar community is leaning towards the BJP. Congress is playing political games,” he said.
BJP spokesperson from Gujarat, Bharat Pandya said it is “wrong to announce that one wants to join BJP and then come up with these allegations hours later”. He claimed it was a conspiracy orchestrated by the Congress.
(With ANI inputs. This story has been updated.)
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Published: 23 Oct 2017,09:35 AM IST