BJP leaders accused Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of allegedly pushing a three-month-pregnant journalist while she was covering an Opposition protest over alleged electoral irregularities, claiming that the woman sustained injuries and was hospitalised.
The allegations surfaced on Tuesday after BJP leaders said they visited journalist Richa Parashar at the hospital. The claims have not been independently verified, and there was no immediate response from Gandhi or the Congress.
BJP Leaders Visit Journalist In Hospital
BJP MLA Umang Bajaj said he learnt about the alleged incident at around 10 pm and visited the hospital along with BJP leaders Pradeep Bhandari and Rajesh Bhatia, as well as the local Mandal President, to enquire about Parasharâs condition. âAt 10:00 PM, it came to my attention that a female journalist, Richa Parashar, had been mistreated,â Bajaj told the media.
Condemning the alleged incident, Bajaj questioned how a leader who speaks about 'smashing the patriarchy' could allegedly behave this way towards a woman journalist carrying out her professional duties. âI strongly condemn the fact that a person who speaks of âsmashing the patriarchyâ would behave this way toward a female journalist who was simply doing her job,â he said.
BJP leader Rajesh Bhatia also levelled allegations against Gandhi, recounting how a woman had approached his office in Rajinder Nagar seeking help for her sister, who was reportedly injured.
âIt must be around 8 or 8.30 pm when a girl came to my office in Rajinder Nagar and requested help for her sister, who is a journalist. She said that Rahul Gandhi had pushed her sister, who is pregnant, and that she had sustained injuries and needed medical treatment,â Bhatia said.
BJP's Pradeep Bhandari Shares Hospital Video
BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari took to X, alleging that Parashar, whom he described as three months pregnant, had been assaulted while covering the protest. He also shared a video of his meeting with the journalist at the hospital. The allegations came amid the Oppositionâs protests over alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The circumstances surrounding the alleged confrontation remain unclear. The claims made by BJP leaders could not be independently verified and neither Rahul Gandhi nor the Congress had issued an immediate response to the allegations.
