Mayawati demanded Rs 8 cr for seat, says expelled BSP legislator

BSP's expelled Sahibabad MLA Amar Pal Sharma, who joined the Congress on Tuesday, claimed he was ousted from the party because he had declined to pay Rs 8 crore to party supremo Mayawati for the party ticket in the upcoming polls.

Talking to media persons at the Congress office here, he told Mayawati, through her close confidante Nasimuddin Siddiqui, sent a note that the money be sent immediately so that she could decide the ticket at the earliest. He bargained with Siddiqui who lowered it to Rs 5 crore but this amount too was beyond his limit and he refused to pay.

"The expulsion was the outcome of my denial," said Sharma, stressing that the allegation of hobnobbing with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJ).

Sharma was expelled from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Monday for "anti-party activities".

In a statement, BSP's Ghaziabad district chief Prem Chand Bharti said Sharma was in league with the BJP and planning to sabotage the party's chances during the coming assembly elections.

It also accused him of meeting BJP leaders on January 15 when the entire party was celebrating Mayawati's birthday.

--IANS

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