Satna (Madhya Pradesh): A major row has erupted after BJP MP Ganesh Singh slapped a municipal worker in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna after the crane he was on suffered a minor jolt and stopped for a few seconds on Friday.
The incident occurred at the city’s Semriya Chowk during Rashtriya Ekta Diwas that is observed to celebrate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary.
According to NDTV, a ‘Run for Unity’ had been organised during which Singh, a five-time MP from Satara, was present.
Videos that have been shared on social media show the MP getting into the gondola of a hydraulic crane to garland a statue of Dr B R Ambedkar. All is well during the ascent and the garlanding process. However, while descending, there is a minor jolt and the crane stops for a few seconds.
All is well thereafter and the gondola is brought down safely. On reaching the ground, the MP summons the crane operator, identified as Ganesh Kushwaha, and slaps him.
“The operator was only doing his job. The sudden jerk was mechanical. But the MP lost his temper,” a municipal worker who was present during the incident told the news channel.
Neeta Sonia, a representative of the MP, defended the assault though.
“The MP merely slapped him. His arms and legs should have been broken. If he had fallen from that height, who would have taken responsibility?” she wrote in a social media post.
The Congress did not allow this opportunity to go by and slammed the MP for his behaviour.
“Ganesh Singh, the arrogant and controversy-prone MP from Satna, slapped a municipal crane operator,” the Madhya Pradesh unit of the Congress posted on X.
“The poor man’s only fault was that he went to rescue the MP, who was trapped in the crane. The arrogance and feudal mindset of BJP’s public representatives are clearly getting the better of them,” the post added.
Siddharth Kushwaha, Congress MLA and district president said that those in the ruling party are not mindful of their actions.
“The crane was not meant to be used in that manner at the event. It was wrong to climb onto it, and the machine’s condition should have been checked beforehand. Ganesh Singh’s slapping one of the workers out of fear was also wrong,” Kushwaha added.
