New Delhi: When words didn’t work – including hurling the foulest of abuses at each other – two BJP legislators from Uttar Pradesh resorted to hitting each other with fists and shoes over a disagreement on the names printed on foundation stones for projects.
The blows occurred on Wednesday evening during a district planning committee meeting in UP’s Sant Kabir Nagar, about 200 kms from Lucknow, in full public glare. The meeting was being attended by senior administration, police officers as well as Ashutosh Tandon, the BJP minister-in-charge of the district, who even attempted to stop the fight, Indian Express reported.
According to NDTV, the fight – videos of which has been doing the rounds on social media and news channels – broke out after the local BJP MP, Sharad Tripathi demanded to know why his name was not included on the foundation stone for a road. When Tripathi questioned Public Works Department engineers at the meeting over the issue, Rakesh Baghel, an MLA from the district, interrupted and said: “Ask me about this, I have put in the stones.”
He can be further heard saying it was his decision and that Tripathi should speak “to his shoe.”
As per videos, this got Tripathi riled up and after a brief exchange of words, he took off a shoe and began landing blows one after another on Baghel, leaving officials and party leaders stunned. Those around can be heard asking in astonishment, “Kya ho raha hai bhai ye? (What is happening here?)”
Baghel responded by using slaps. While it is being reported that he too took off his shoe and responded in a similar manner as Tripathi, this part remains unclear from clips of the incident.
Police officials and others can be seen pulling the duo apart, eventually succeeding to end the brawl.
According to Scroll.in, Baghel and his supporters later protested outside Sant Kabir Nagar District Magistrate Raveesh Gupta’s office demanding Tripathi’s arrest.
The party state president Mahendra Nath Pandey took “serious” cognisance of the incident and summoned both the lawmakers to the state capital.
“I have taken serious cognisance of the incident and have summoned both of them to Lucknow. Disciplinary action will take as per the party discipline,” said Pandey.
Opposition leaders came down heavily on the ruling party, with Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav tweeting that the incident was reflective of BJP’s frustration over its impending defeat in the upcoming polls:
“Today in Uttar Pradesh, a parliamentarian and a legislator of the party – that claims to the world’s most disciplined – respectfully exchanged blows with their shoes. This is the frustration of the BJP that is expecting a defeat in the upcoming elections. The truth is that the BJP is not being able to find candidates for the polls.”
According to Indian Express, Tripathi said he regretted the incident: “What happened was against my normal behaviour. If I am summoned by the state chief then I will put my point across.”
(With agency inputs)