Delhi minister Parvesh Verma, who courted controversy after he slapped a man during road inspection in the national capital on Sunday, hit back at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's criticism, asking him to "stay out of it". A video of the incident from Tilak Nagar constituency went viral after it was shared by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on its X handle, further sparking a political row.
Weighing in on the row, Rahul Gandhi slammed Verma, saying, "A BJP minister from the Delhi government is seen slapping a young man in a video. His crime? He was making a video. A road was being dug up right in front of the minister, and he had a camera in his hand. This is the face of a power that no longer fears the voters."
Addressing Gandhi in a reply on X, Verma said, "Rahul ji, aap rehne do bhai, aapko kuch nhi pata (Rahul ji, you just stay out of it, bro, you don't know a thing)."
Deep Dive
What triggered the controversy involving Parvesh Verma during the road inspection?
Why did Rahul Gandhi criticize Parvesh Verma regarding the slap incident?
How did Aam Aadmi Party respond to the incident involving Parvesh Verma?
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In his social media post, Gandhi alleged that those in power respond with a slap or lathi charge when they are questioned by the people. "Ask a question on the street - a slap. Ask a question on paper leaks - a lathi charge. Ask a question in Parliament - the mic is switched off," he wrote.
{{/usCountry}}In his social media post, Gandhi alleged that those in power respond with a slap or lathi charge when they are questioned by the people. "Ask a question on the street - a slap. Ask a question on paper leaks - a lathi charge. Ask a question in Parliament - the mic is switched off," he wrote.
{{/usCountry}}He further alleged that the ruling political leaders "no longer fear that elections can remove them", reiterating his allegation of "vote chori". He said the theft of vote also allows these people to become arrogant.
"A government that takes victory for granted doesn't need your consent - it demands your silence and blind devotion," he said.
Row over poor road in Tilak Nagar
According to AAP MLA Jarnail Singh, the victim was a colleague who was recording the video during a road inspection. The MLA said he had received a call from BJP PWD minister Parvesh Verma, who had come to inspect the road and asked him to show the damages.
"I peeled the road off like a carpet and showed it to him. Seeing this, the minister became agitated and, in his agitation, slapped our colleague who was recording the video, and then fled from here," said Jarnail Singh.
Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal also reacted strongly to the slapgate involving Parvesh Verma. The former Delhi chief minister on Monday highlighted the poorly constructed road in Tilak Nagar and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action against the minister and officials responsible for the road construction.
Reacting to a video purportedly showing Verma slapping Saheb Singh, who is associated with AAP MLA Jarnail Singh's team, Kejriwal said, “I am heading to Tilak Nagar at 4:30 pm regarding this matter. The road they (Delhi government) constructed there was already falling apart, crumbling, as everyone saw in videos yesterday. Meanwhile, one of their ministers actually slapped a young man."
BJP says man slapped by Verma a "habitual offender"
Verma has rejected the allegations and claimed that the man had abused his family while he was inspecting the road work on the Vikaspuri Ring Road.
The Delhi BJP on Sunday claimed that the man is a “habitual offender” and was previously arrested for assaulting an MCD employee.
BJP also claimed that AAP MLA Jarnail Singh provoked Verma by bringing 50 AAP workers during the inspection and started behaving in an "indecent and uncivilised manner".
(With PTI inputs)