Video showing Rajasthan Congress MLA ‘kicking’ turban of man goes viral, he says it’s edited

PTI, Oct 18, 2023, 11:33 AM IST

Rajasthan Congress MLA Rajendra Singh Bidhuri (Image source: X)

Jaipur: A video clip purportedly showing Rajasthan Congress MLA Rajendra Singh Bidhuri kicking and tossing the turban of an elderly person has gone viral ahead of the assembly polls, with the legislator saying on Tuesday that the video was edited and two years old.

Bidhuri, the MLA from the Begun assembly constituency in Chittorgarh district, said his political opponents circulated the video to defame him ahead of the November 25 polls and that he would file a defamation case against the person responsible for it.

In the viral video, the MLA is purportedly seen kicking the turban of the elderly person who had come to him with a complaint.

“It is a video from 2021 and is edited. I did not behave like that. The man came to meet me. He put his turban on the ground and I was moving ahead. I asked him to pick up the turban,” the MLA said.

मेरी छवि को धूमिल करने के लिए लोग षड्यन्त्र पूर्वक जो वीडियो एडिट करके वायरल कर रहे है || उसकी सचाई ये है की ये वीडियो 21-10-2021 का है व वीडियो में आ रहा व्यक्ति लोभी राम और उसके पुत्र जिस के ख़िलाफ़ पारसोली थाने में 16-07-2021 को रेप का केस दर्ज हुआ था । वह हर जगह आ कर पगड़ी रख pic.twitter.com/PGKHcOwGHJ

— Rajendra Singh Bidhuri (@BidhuriRajendra) October 17, 2023

Reacting sharply to the video clip, BJP leaders said it reflected the “character and face” of the Congress.

State BJP president and MP from the Chittorgarh Lok Sabha constituency C P Joshi said the video may be old but shows the character of the Congress.

Joshi said that in Rajasthan, turban is considered a symbol of pride and honour.

“A public representative kicking the turban of a person is condemnable,” he said.

“On one hand the Congress gives the slogan of ‘Jan Samman, Jai Rajasthan’ and on the other hand its MLA insults the complainant by kicking his turban. This is just an example. In the last five years Congress has worked to humiliate all sections of society, including farmers, women and the youth,” he said.

Leader of Opposition in the assembly Rajendra Rathore said turban is considered a matter of pride and honour in Rajasthan.

“This is our culture and tradition…. The video…may be old but such inhuman behaviour is unforgivable,” he said.

He said this video showed the mentality of Congress leaders and the reality of Rahul Gandhi’s “mohabbat ki dukan”.

BJP leader Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore also condemned the incident and said, “This is the real face of the Congress party.”