Bhopal: BJP offering money for cross-voting in Presidential poll: Kamal Nath

Bhopal, July 14 (IANS) Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Thursday alleged that state's ruling BJP was trying to woo his party MLAs with offers of big money to vote for their candidate in the July 18 presidential polls.

Addressing a press conference, along with opposition presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha, he said that a Congress MLA informed him about receiving phone calls to vote for NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu in return for money. Nath, however, assured that all Congress MLAs will vote for Sinha.

According to party sources, the MLA concerned is a former minister and prominent tribal MLA. Congress sources told IANS that at least three non-BJP MLAs have been offered money for cross-voting.

"They have (BJP) been already intimidating and luring our people in the Janpad and Zila Panchayat polls, but now they have not even spared the presidential elections," Nath said.

Nath's allegation came just a few hours after the state Home Minister Narottam Mishra had appealed to Congress lawmakers, including Nath and Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh to vote for the NDA presidential candidate.

Denying Nath's allegations, Mishra said: "Why will we indulge in such acts, particularly when the entire country knows that the NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu is winning the election with a big margin."

Meanwhile, Sinha, who arrived in Bhopal on Wednesday night and left for New Delhi on Thursday afternoon, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "killing the democratic system of the country".

"Whether I win the Presidential election or not, but I would make it clear that I would take the fight to protect democracy on the road. Today's BJP is totally different from Atal-Advani's tenure."

Sinha said that in every state, he has appealed to MLAs and MPs to support him to protect democracy.