As BJP goes after Ahmed Patel, Congress tries to checkmate rebel MLAs in Gujarat

NEW DELHI: Congress central leadership on Friday said it is unveiling an elaborate legal and political counter move against the BJP efforts to trip Ahmed Patel, the political secretary to Sonia Gandhi, in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Gujarat.

AICC spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi has announced that Congress will evoke legal and political measures as well as provisions under the anti-defection law against the ongoing “BJP-engineered defections” from among the ranks of party MLAs.

The move comes a day after BJP announced a third candidate for the three Rajya Sabha seats, making it clear that it is leaving no stones unturned in its bid to prevent Patel’s re-election to Parliament. Singhvi accused BJP top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah of “trying to lure away party MLAs by deploying money power and muscle power”. He warned those party MLAs, who have already defected and those who may be planning the same or cross-voting during Rajya Sabha polls that the party could move the court under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Singhvi also cautioned the pole-vaulting Congress MLAs that they are violating the provisions of Anti-Defection Law that can not only invite instant unseating from the Assembly but also disqualification for six years from contesting any elections. Singhvi also quoted an amendment in the anti-defection law, which according to him,warrants MLAs voting in a Rajya Sabha election show their ballot — before putting in the box — to the respective party’s whip to testify they indeed voted along the party whip, failing which, their votes can be instantly treated as invalid.

The Congress move, to many, not only signal the growing worry within the leadership about shifting stands during RS polls in Gujarat but also its resolve to make allout, multi-pronged operations to try and salvage the situation as what is at stake is not only the electoral future of Patel but also the very prestige of the Sonia Gandhiled AICC establishment.

“We want to caution those MLAs who are being lured to defect by BJP leadership that they may not be aware that what they are being persuaded to do amounts to violating provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act and that of Anti-Defection Law, that can make they actions under criminal law as well disqualification from Assembly as well from contesting elections for six years. They should know they are playing with fire,” Singhvi said at the AICC official briefing.