MP BJP Mahila Morcha leader removed from post after hurling abuses at Dalit partyman
BHOPAL: A state-level BJP leader has been removed from her post a day after audio clips of her abusive and threatening phone conversation with a lower-ranked BJP leader went viral on social media on Wednesday.
The state BJP issued a letter to Shreshtha Joshi, the Indore-based BJP Mahila Morcha state secretary, informing her that she was being removed from all party responsibilities. Joshi was also directed to submit her written explanation within a week by appearing personally before the state Mahila Morcha chief Lata Elkar, failing which she would be expelled from the primary membership of the party.
Earlier, on Wednesday, an audio clip containing a purported phone conversation between Joshi and a Mandal vice president of Ujjain division Lakhan Sing Chouhan had gone viral over social media.
In the audio clips, Joshi (who was irked over an objectionable social media post by Chauhan and his comments about her on the social media post) was heard using highly objectionable and abusive language with Chauhan, who hails from the scheduled caste. While Chauhan had deleted the concerned post on which Joshi had raised the objection, she was forcing him to apologise to her over social media.
Not only did Joshi repeatedly verbally abuse Chauhan and his parents, but she also threatened to get him beaten up by his own community. She also made objectionable comments about his community over social media.
Further, she threatened Chauhan that action would be taken against him and claimed to personally know BJP president JP Nadda’s wife Mallika Nadda, besides being close to Lok Sabha member from Khajuraho seat VD Sharma.
Reacting to the development, Congress leader Narendra Saluja (who is also the media convener of Chief Minister Kamal Nath) questioned why the woman leader has only been removed as BJP Mahila Morcha office bearer and not expelled from the party. “Why does the letter issued to her by the state BJP only mention about the party image being tarnished by her comments over the social media post but doesn’t carry an apology to the Dalit community,” asked Saluja.
“On the one hand, BJP leaders are unnecessarily giving communal colour to the recent immolation of a Dalit man in Sagar district despite all accused in the case having already been arrested. But on the other hand they are not immediately expelling a woman leader who used abusive language for Dalits,” said Saluja.