The woman who was kissed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Khagen Murmu kissed on her cheeks said reacted to the viral video following criticism. The woman called the incident "act of affection" and said there was "nothing wrong" in Murmu's actions.
On Wednesday, photos of Murmu kissing the woman on her cheeks were circulated on Wednesday. The incident took place on Monday when Murmu was campaigning in Sihipur village, Chanchal, West Bengal.
West Bengal's ruling party Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused Murmu of kissing the woman on the cheeks during a live stream of his campaign, which was initially shared on his Facebook page but later deleted.
In a post on X, TMC addressed the incident, stating, "If you can't believe what you just saw, let's make it clear. Yes, this is BJP MP and Malda Uttar candidate @khagenmurmu who is kissing a woman at his campaign. From MPs that sexually harass women wrestlers to leaders who make obscene songs about Bengali women, BJP camp has no dearth of anti-women politicians."
TMC also criticised BJP for not taking action against leaders accused of inappropriate behaviour towards women and expressed concerns about their potential actions if they gain power.
However, the woman told news channel that there was "nothing wrong" in what Murmu did. "What is the problem if a person of my father's age shows affection towards me and kisses me on my cheeks? Why do people have a dirty mindset? There's nothing wrong in it," she said.
