Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday condemned the incident of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Akash Vijayvargiya assaulting a municipal corporation officer with a cricket bat in Indore last week, reports said. Such behaviour is not acceptable, Modi told his party’s MPs, according to India Today.
At a parliamentary party meeting, Modi expressed anger and said those who encourage such behaviour and those who went to welcome Vijayvargiya when he was released on bail should be sacked. “I don’t care whose son was behind the incident, it was completely unwarranted and not acceptable,” Modi was quoted as telling BJP MPs.
Akash Vijayvargiya is the son of BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya.
Modi said he did not want any leaders who spoil the party’s image, News18 reported.
BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy told ANI that Modi had said that action should be taken if someone has done something wrong, and this is applicable to everyone.
Akash Vijayvargiya, a member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, was arrested on June 26, and a case was filed against him. He was sent to judicial custody till July 7, but was granted bail three days later. When he was released from jail on Sunday, supporters garlanded him and fired guns in the air.
On Friday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had sought a report from the party’s Madhya Pradesh unit regarding the incident.
Kailash Vijayvargiya on Monday defended his son and called him a “kaccha khiladi”, or a novice. He said his son’s actions were not of major concern.
Vijayvargiya’s defence
The Indore municipal officer who Vijayvargiya had attacked was on an anti-encroachment drive. The legislator hit the civic body official with a cricket bat and chased him even as security personnel scrambled to calm things down. The civic body’s anti-encroachment team was working to demolish a dilapidated house in Ganji Compound locality when the incident took place. The team was identifying weak structures to be demolished in view of the monsoon.
After the incident, the BJP MLA had alleged that the officers were demolishing the building illegally. “I tried to reach out to the corporation, they didn’t take my calls,” he said. “I have a responsibility towards the people who voted for me.” Akash Vijayvargiya added that if required, he would beat up the officers again.
He also said: “Whatever happened, I do not regret it. A woman was being dragged by her feet in the presence of the police. A poor family’s house was going to be demolished with machines. I did what I thought was right at the time.”
The municipal commission on Thursday suspended 21 employees who supported the BJP leader during the incident. They were identified from the video footage of the incident.
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