BJP accuses Irom Sharmila of lying; activist denies charge

“If the blame game continues, I will disclose the name of the person. The person had assured me that the funds would come through Amit Shah,” said Irom Sharmila according to a report in Imphal Free Press on Monday.

The activist, who is contesting the Manipur assembly election as an independent candidate, had claimed in an interview to NDTV that she had been offered ₹36 crore to contest as a BJP candidate against chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh.

“Absolute lie” tweeted BJP general secretary Ram Madhav late on Sunday while the general secretary of BJP’s Manipur unit Thongam Biswajit threatened Sharmila with a criminal case if she failed to prove the charge.

“Who told her (Sharmila) and when? No one offered her any amount from the BJP’s side. We don’t have ₹36 crore. She must come clean in her allegation otherwise we will take legal action against her,” Biswajit told media persons. Ram Madhav also claimed that BJP’s entire campaign budget in Manipur did not amount to ₹36 crore.

Sharmila told Imphal Free Press that she would not divulge the name of the person who urged her to join BJP.

“I was approached by this important person, a card-carrying BJP person while I was contemplating fighting the elections and stopping my fast at JNIMS security ward. He had told me that I would require to feed thousands of people every day and hire workers and that much of an amount was needed for fighting elections,” she claimed.

Thongam Biswajit maintained that the activist must have been paid money by the Congress to level the allegation against BJP.