The 21-minute CD featuring Solanki and a girl was circulated by unidentified persons to some of the newspapers in the state. Though the girl in the scene has not been identified, sources say she hails from the Walled City and has been a regular visitor to the state party chief for the last one year. While the major part of the CD shows the two loving and caressing each other, seven minutes of the CD shows the two in a compromising position with both of them completely naked.

Though this is not for the first time that allegations of a sex scandal has been levelled against political or even religious leaders in Gujarat, the timing of its release, just before the elections has provided an edge to the BJP.

Earlier, a CD featuring powerful BJP leader Sanjay Joshi was circulated reportedly by BJP insiders in a bid to tarnish his image. Owing to this, Joshi had to resign from the post of general secretary of the party. Before that, a sadhu belonging to a powerful sect was accused of involvement in a sex scandal as shown in a CD apparently generated from a place in Vadodara district.

While Solanki could not be contacted for his comments despite several efforts, most of the state Congress leaders chose to remain silent. When approached, AICC general secretary and Gujarat coordinator Manish Tiwari said that the allegations were a conspiracy against Solanki and the party in view of the Assembly elections.

Tiwari said: "The CD is totally doctored and morphed and there is not an iota of truth in it." He said the party was ready for any kind of inquiry by the CBI. "We don't have any trust in the local police under the existing political scenario," he said.

Tiwari said he apprehended the hand of the rival BJP in this episode. "If the BJP leaders are capable of morphing their own leaders, they can do it with leaders of their rival parties as well. The Gujarat unit of the BJP seems to have acquired a sort of expertise, hence it is hardly surprising that they have stooped so low to tarnish the image of their adversaries," he said.

He said the party would resort to appropriate legal action to ensure that those responsible for the CD are brought to book. "We reject the contents of CD with the contempt it deserves," he said.