Was offered Rs 1 crore to join BJP, alleges Hardik Patel's close aide

Ahmedabad: Patidar leader Narendra Patel on Sunday alleged that he was offered Rs 1 crore to join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat.

Patel, a Patidar leader from north Gujarat and the convenor of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) Mehsana, displayed Rs 10 lakh currency notes during a press conference on Sunday.

Earlier, it was reported that the Patidar leader was to join the BJP, however, by Sunday evening he changed tunes and addressed the media, and levelled horse-trading charges against it.

Narendra Patel, who had last month lodged a police complaint against Hardik Patel and three supporters in Patan in North Gujarat and later withdrew it, told a press conference that Patidar leader Varun Patel who joined the BJP on Saturday evening took him to meet Gujarat BJP president Jitubhai Vaghani and other leaders on Sunday.

“Varun took me around in Gandhinagar and then took me to Shree Kamalam office of the BJP and introduced me to Jitubhai Vaghani and some ministers. He then took me to a room and handed over a bag of Rs 10 lakh cash as token and promised to pay me Rs 90 lakh tomorrow after a party function which I was required to attend,” Patel told a crowded a press conference late on Sunday.

“They made a deal of Rs 1 crore on me. One crore? Even if they bestow the entire Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on me, I will not be bought over. Even if I have to die, fighting for the cause,” Patel claimed.

Ahead of the Gujarat Assembly Election 2017, the Congress and the BJP are trying to get Patidar leaders into their fold.

While young Gujarat OBC leader Alpesh Thakore on Saturday announced he was joining the Congress, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got a boost as two leaders from Patel's Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) shook hands with the party.

Hardik Patel is expected to meet Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Monday.