BJP attempting to destabilise Congress govt in Rajasthan; offering MLAs Rs 25 crore to defect: Ashok Gehlot

He said the BJP is executing the same strategy it used in toppling the erstwhile Kamal Nath-led Madhya Pradesh government.

Gehlot said some of the Congress MLAs have been offered an initial advance of Rs 10 crore of the promised Rs 25 crore to defect, a Hindustan Times report said.

Congress moved its 107 MLAs and 13 independent lawmakers to a resort on the outskirts of Jaipur late on Wednesday night to foil a possible cross over. The move has been made to prevent a debacle ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections for the three seats from the desert state slated to be held on June 19, the report stated.

Gehlot claimed while addressing the newspersons yesterday night that all the MLAs are alert and united, stressing that Rajasthan is the only state where 13 MLAs have supported a Congress government without the exchange of money or post.

Meanwhile, in order to stop the alleged cash transfers, chief whip of Rajasthan government Mahesh Joshi has filed a written complaint to the Director General of Police (Anti-Corruption Bureau) seeking action against such corrupt conduct, attempts of destabilising the government and for luring the public representatives, said another HT report.

However, Joshi has not specified who is trying to bribe the ruling MLAs.

“It has been learnt like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, attempts are being made to destabilise the government in Rajasthan by tempting our MLAs and the independent MLAs who are supporting us,” he wrote in the complaint to the DG ACB, adding that strict legal action must be taken against them, the report added.

Ahead of transporting the MLAs to the resort, the chief minister held a meeting with them at his residence.

The HT report said that Congress is planning to keep the lawmakers in the resort till the June 19 Rajya Sabha elections.

Congress has nominated KC Venugopal and Neeraj Dangi as its candidates while the BJP has nominated Rajendra Gehlot and Onkar Singh Lakhawat.

Amid the tussle, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of delaying the Rajya Sabha polls under pressure as the BJP could not poach enough MLAs to win the elections.

Meanwhile, AICC spokesperson and in-charge of RS polls, Randeep Surjewala said Congress has an absolute majority and BJP's conspiracy plans will not succeed, the HT reported.

In the house of 200 MLAs, Congress has 107 MLAs, including six, who defected to Congress from the BSP last year. The party has the support of 13 independent MLAs.

On the other hand, the BJP has 72 MLAs and the support of three Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MLAs.