Congress asks Election Commission to lodge FIR against BJP

New Delhi: Stepping up the attack, Congress on Friday, demanded that Election Commission of India to order an FIR regarding an audio in which BJP leaders offered money to Patidar leader, Narendra Patel, to join BJP.

Mr. Narendra, a convenor of Hardik Patel’s Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, on Thursday had released an audio tape purportedly of his conversation with former Patidar leader Varun Patel who has now joined the BJP.

Congress senior spokesman Ajay Maken demanded that an FIR should be ordered by the EC.

He said, “The conversation is for all to listen. The question arises that when there are such serious allegations why hasn’t an FIR been registered against Amit Shah, Vijay Rupani, Jitubhai Vaghani and Varun Patel.”

He further questioned the silence of PM Narendra Modi. In the clip, two voices are heard discussing how Mr. Narendra would be paid after he joins BJP. A voice, identified by Mr. Narendra as that of Mr. Varun, says he would be given 60 per cent now and 40 per cent later.

Earlier Mr. Narendra claimed he had joined the BJP on October 22 only to expose the party.

Mr. Maken said, “It is not the first time such a thing has happened in Gujarat. Even during the Rajya Sabha election, the BJP tried to bribe three Congress MLAs with '10 crore.”  The state goes to polls in two phases on December 9 and 14.