Patidar leader Hardik Patel has claimed that a businessman had offered him Rs 5 crore to not address a rally in Gujarat’s Surat on Sunday, India Today reported on Monday.
“I received a call from one rich person of Surat, and he offered me Rs 5 crore with a condition to not come to Surat and organise a rally and public meeting,” Patel said. “I denied the offer.”
Patel urged the gathering at Surat to not vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Nationalist Congress Party or the Aam Aadmi Party, but for “a party that would form the government”, The Indian Express reported.
The leader of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti said the BJP took it for granted that members of the community would vote for it in the Assembly elections. He also noted that the Congress was worried that the huge turnouts in Patidar rallies would not translate into votes and urged the community to display their “loyalty and power” towards the right party in the upcoming polls on December 9 and 14.
Patel made the youngsters present at the rally take an oath that they would “not be lured by BJP leaders” and will “reach the polling station in the morning and will not vote for the BJP”.
“I want to see headlines on December 19 that the egoistic government lost to the six crore people of Gujarat,” Patel said. “We have no personal grudge against the BJP, but how can we forget the way they troubled us during the Patidar agitation?”
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!