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Delhi minister massaged by rape-accused in jail? Fresh row erupts over video
Aam Aadmi Party leader Satyendar Jain was arrested in June.
With a fresh controversy brewing over new reports linked to videos showing Delhi minister Satyendar Jain getting a massage in Tihar jail, the BJP has stepped up its attack on the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Last week, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had hit back at the BJP for sharing the clips, saying that Jain was told to seek physiotherapy following a spell of illness. On Tuesday, reports emerged that a man who was seen giving a massage to Jain was a prisoner named Rinku.
Officials in Delhi's Tihar jail have further said that the man seen in the video giving a massage to jailed AAP leader Satyendar Jain is a rape-accused. A prison official, who asked not to be named, said that their probe revealed the man is an inmate of a ward near Jain's cell. " The person has also been transferred so that he is not forced to do anything for the any inmate. He is not a physiotherapist as some reports said on social media," a prison officer said.
Latching on to fresh bits of information, the Delhi unit of BJP held a press briefing on Tuesday. “We had already said that this is not the Aam Aadmi Party, this is the Spa Massage Party,” the party’s national spokesperson - Gaurav Bhatia - told reporters. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should “immediately sack” Jain, he further insisted, adding that the AAP chief “should apologise to the entire nation”.
“No explanation has been given as to why there were Bisleri water bottles inside prison cells,” Bhatia further said.
The AAP - meanwhile - has dismissed all the claims saying that the BJP is making baseless claims over fear of losing elections.
The row erupted hours after the leaders of the BJP shared a clip of an AAP MLA - Gulab Singh Yadav - being thrashed by some people at a meeting. While the BJP said it was a proof of resentment among people, Yadav - in his rebuttal - alleged that the attack was carried out by the rival party.
The sparring between the two parties comes as the national capital prepares to hold the MCD elections on December 4.
