Congress MP Shyam Kumar Barve accused of slapping Pratibha Dhanorkar on bus; complaint sent to leadership

A complaint from within the Congress about the conduct of MPs during the recent agitation by the Congress and the INDIA bloc is being discussed in political circles. A video shot on a bus has also come into focus.

The complaint has reportedly been sent to senior party leaders. Some Congress office-bearers emailed party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and K C Venugopal. The email was also sent to Sirivella Prasad, the party's in-charge for Maharashtra. It says the conduct of some MPs on November 1, the day of the Congress's "Vote Bachao Desh Bachao" rally, damaged the party's image.

The complaint refers to an incident that took place as several Congress MPs were travelling by bus to the rally at Ramlila Maidan, and to a viral video linked to it. According to the complaint, Ramtek MP Shyam Kumar Barve is accused of slapping Chandrapur MP Pratibha Dhanorkar on the bus.

The complaint also says the party is fighting to save democracy, protect constitutional values and uphold the dignity of women. In such a situation, it says, the conduct of an MP, Shyam Kumar Barve, hurts the party's image and sends the wrong message to the public about the party.

The letter demands that senior leaders reject such conduct in the interest of organisational discipline and respect for women leaders, and take disciplinary action. It says such behaviour is not expected of an elected representative. It also says Mallikarjun Kharge will take note of the incident and take the necessary action.

The video on which the complaint is based runs for ten seconds and was shot as several Congress MPs travelled to the rally by bus. In it, Barve is seen standing and giving a light slap to Dhanorkar, who is seated beside him. Dhanorkar initially shows no reaction, but later looks at Barve somewhat angrily.

The video was probably shot by a Congress leader or office-bearer on the bus. The complaint to senior leaders about the MP's conduct was made only after it went viral within Congress circles.

Dhanorkar was approached for her side of the matter. She declined to speak on camera. She did say, however, that it must have happened in the course of light-hearted banter among MPs. It remains to be seen what the Congress leadership does after the video went viral.