Pratibha Dhanorkar says Shyamkumar Barve is like an elder brother, explains viral bus video

Chandrapur Congress MP Pratibha Dhanorkar has spoken out on a video that went viral on social media showing her with Ramtek MP Shyamkumar Barve. She said what happened inside the bus was a moment of friendly banter and that she has no complaint against Barve.

In the video, Barve is seen gesturing towards Dhanorkar's cheek. Talk then began that he had slapped a woman MP. Dhanorkar said Barve is like an elder brother to her and that there was nothing objectionable in what happened. She expressed displeasure at the incident being presented wrongly and said such reports were needlessly damaging the image of a woman MP.

Dhanorkar said Congress MPs were travelling together in one bus from the Constitution Club in Delhi to the Ramlila Maidan. MP Varsha Gaikwad was seated next to her and MP Shobha Bachhav was on the front seat. Some MPs from Jharkhand and Rajasthan were also in the group.

According to Dhanorkar, Barve had come wearing new clothes, so the other MPs asked him jokingly about marriage. It was said that Varsha Gaikwad teased him about his age, which started some light-hearted banter. Barve then joined the conversation and said in jest that his son is 20 to 22 years old, while he himself has not turned 30 and is not married. Dhanorkar said that amid this banter Barve lightly touched her cheek. She added that Barve had made a similar joke with Varsha Gaikwad too.

After the video, screenshots of an alleged complaint also began circulating. It was said the complaint had been sent to senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and K C Venugopal. It is said to have come from an unknown email account named "Nagpur Congress Worker".

Dhanorkar questioned the credibility of the complaint. She said nobody knows who is behind it. She said there is neither an authorised complaint nor an identified complainant, so spreading allegations is not right. She also said it could be an attempt to defame her, Barve or Varsha Gaikwad.

Dhanorkar said Congress MPs living in the same building share close ties. They often eat together and meet like members of a family. She appealed to the media and the public not to give a wrong colour to a light-hearted exchange. She also asked why attention was being diverted to this video when the Congress protest in Delhi was on far bigger political issues.

Dhanorkar's clarification comes as social media discussion grows over the viral video of the two Congress MPs from Maharashtra.