Patidar leader says was bribed by BJP, displays cash

Patel also displayed wades of notes which he said was offered to him by Varun Patel, who too recently joined the BJP.

Patel, a close aide of Hardik Patel, the face of the agitating Patidars in Gujarat, is the convener of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS).

He said he had taken the money as he wanted to expose the BJP and Varun Patel of engaging in malpractices.

"Varun Patel made a Rs. 1 crore-deal with the BJP for me. He gave 10 lakh rupees in advance. They are going to be give me Rs. 90 lakh rupees tomorrow but even if they give me the entire Reserve Bank of India they will not be able to buy me," Patel told the media.

However, trashing all allegations against him, Varun Patel said: "Instead of 10 lakhs, Narendra Patel should have taken the entire 1 crore rupees he claims he was offered and then done the press conference. Why did he just take 10 lakhs, is he that crazy?" 

He also added that the Congress is scared of the BJP's recent success and predicted that no Patidar will vote for the former.

Reacting on the issue, BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said: "First, he came out and declared he is joining BJP. After 2-3 hours he does this drama... The Congress cannot sway Gujarat's populace with this kind of drama."

Meanwhile, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who is due to hold another rally in Gujarat ahead of the state election, is going all out to claim the Patidar community's support.

However, the party received a setback on Saturday as two prominent Patidar leaders, Reshma Patel and Varun Patel, joined the BJP, giving it an upper hand in the poll.