Shiv Sena MLA claims was offered 5 crore to join BJP

Mumbai: Shiv Sena MLA Harswardhan Jadhav has reportedly claimed that he was offered Rs 5 crore by a senior BJP Minister to join the party.
Jadhav, MLA from the Kannada Assembly Constituency speaking to a news channel said, “When I met BJP minister Chandrakant Patil at his official residence near Mantralaya late last month, he made me the offer.”
He said, “Patil told me that the BJP was frustrated with the Shiv Sena due to their bickerings and was looking at getting rid of that party by increasing the number of BJP MLAs” adding that, “we are trying to give every Sena MLA Rs 5 crore to quit that party and contest the bypoll as BJP nominee.”
He further said, “The Rs 5 crore offer was for election expenditure,” and that, “The minister made the same offer to me…I feel he gave this offer to all Sena MLAs.”
Adding that “Patil told me that if I do not get elected, I will be fielded (by the BJP) for the legislative council polls.”
However, BJP claimed it as “baseless” and accused the Sena MLA of falsely making rumours.
BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari on this claim said, “All these are baseless charges. BJP does not need to do such things…Compared to Jadhav, Patil enjoys the trust of people of Maharashtra,”
“What Jadhav has claimed is a nautanki (farce),” he said.
When he was asked weather defamation proceedings will be initiated against Jadhav, the BJP spokesperson said, “Definitely. We will consider this.”