Horse trading now bedrock of BJP's so-called 'expansion': Surjewala

In the wake of four Telugu Desam Party MPs switching sides to BJP, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala on Friday asserted that the BJP's conduct is denigrating constitution.

"Indian National Congress strongly questions the 'Culture of Defection' systematically being cultivated by the BJP. Horse trading is now the bedrock of BJP's so-called 'expansion'. This reprehensible phenomenon, sans any ideological moorings, is the murder of Constitution & Democracy," Surjewala tweeted.

The Congress in-charge of communication also shared an official statement in his tweet.

"Defections are founded upon threats, coercion, money power, muscle power and enticements," read the statement.

BJP "engineered defection among the Rajya Sabha MP's belonging to the TDP in an attempt to manufacture a majority in Rajya Sabha" in an "illegal and unconstitutional manner," it asserted.

Surjewala also drew examples from West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa Karnataka, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Telangana, where BJP allegedly engineered defection.

"Modi 2.0 - Defections are New Normal. TDP Party in Lok Sabha hasn't split. TDP Legislature Party hasn't split. TDP Political Party hasn't split. Then, How can TDP in Rajya Sabha split? Constitution Xth Schedule is dead! Will journalists dare to debate/question?" Surjewala had tweeted earlier in the day.