44 Gujarat MLAs meet Karnataka Guv, say 'not captivated' in Bengaluru

After the resignation of  former Gujarat chief minister and veteran congress leader Shankarsinh Vaghela, and with three party members joining the BJP, the Congress flew 44 of its lawmakers to Bengaluru ahead of August 8 Rajya Sabha polls.

Gujarat Congress spokesperson, Shaktisinh Gohil accused the BJP of trying to bribe the Congress MLAs in Gujarat ahead of the RS poll in the state.

Gohil said BJP is playing a "foul politics" in Gujarat.

Speaking about the Guv's meet with the MLAs, Gohil said: "We came here to seek blessings of the Karnataka Governor who is the constitutional head of the state as we are fighting to secure democracy."

"We briefed the Guv that we are not captivated here" he added.

He also attacked the BJP for allegedly carrying out the I-T raids to unnerve the Congress.

The income tax department raids on Karnataka energy minister D Shivakumar continued for the third consecutive day on Friday, reports said.

IT officials raided Shivakumar's home in Delhi's Safdarjung area on Friday morning.

Raids were conducted also on Thursday and Wednesday  in the premises linked to  Shivakumar.

The Income Tax team first  swooped on several properties belonging to the minister on Wednesday, including his homes in Kanakapura and Sadashivanagar and his Eagleton Golf Resort, where the Congress MLAs from Gujarat have been put up.

On Wednesday, the IT department also raided the house of relative of the minister.

Dismissing the claims of using state machinery to target the opposition parties, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, at the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday , stated no Congress MLAs from Gujarat were searched in the Bengaluru resort hours after Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar was raided by the I-T Department officers.

Image: Official Facebook page of Shaktisinh Gohil.

Photo caption: Gujarat Congress spokesperson.