Lucknow: Supporters of Congress leader Pramod Tiwari and BJP MP Sangam Lal Gupta clashed at the ‘Garib Kalyan Mela’ in Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh Saturday while both leaders were present. Gupta has alleged he and his followers were attacked by Congress supporters but, speaking to ThePrint, Tiwari’s daughter and UP Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Misra has refuted these allegations.
#WATCH | Pratapgarh: A clash broke out b/w supporters of Congress leader Pramod Tiwari & BJP MP Sangam Lal Gupta at 'Garib Kalyan Mela' in Sangipur where both leaders were present. MP & his supporters were allegedly chased & beaten by Tiwari's supporters
(Note: Abusive language) pic.twitter.com/Ra9e1HrxqH
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 25, 2021
In a video of the incident that went viral on social media, Gupta is seen being beaten up. The Pratapgarh MP also claimed local police were involved in the incident.
UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya released a statement that strict action will be taken at the earliest against those who attacked the MP, who is also the national general secretary of the party’s OBC Morcha. “No perpetrator will be spared,” Maurya said.
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‘Baseless allegations’, says Congress leader
Refuting Gupta’s allegations, Congress leader Aradhana Misra said: “There was an event in my constituency Rampur Khas’s Sangipur block, and so my father and I went there. Suddenly, MP Sangam Lal Gupta came there with his supporters.”
She claimed: “We were sitting together and suddenly one of his supporters started misbehaving with an announcer present there and suddenly a clash between both sides started. My father and I both tried to stop them but his (Gupta’s) men continuously abused our supporters. We stopped our people from getting violent with anyone.”
But UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi alleged the incident was an example of the Congress’ frustration in UP. “Congress is a ‘bujhta diya‘ (fading lamp) in UP. They are frustrated due to their condition in the state, so now they are physically attacking BJP leaders. Strict action should be taken in this incident,” he said.
An official spokesperson for the Pratapgarh police said they are investigating the whole issue. “Action will be taken against all those who were involved in this matter,” he said.
(Edited by Paramita Ghosh)
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