Hindustan Times (Patiala)

Vadra takes on BJP MLA who broke Shaktiman’s leg

- Prithviraj Singh prithviraj.singh@hindustant­imes.com

DEHRADUN: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra and BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi, accused of assaulting police horse Shaktiman, got involved in an altercatio­n at the Dehradun airport after Vadra refused to accept the latter’s bouquet.

DEHRADUN: Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra got into a spat with Uttarakhan­d BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi at the Dehradun airport on Sunday after he refused to accept a bouquet from the lawmaker accused of assaulting police horse Shaktiman in March.

Joshi and BJP workers were at the airport to receive the party’s parliament­arians, including Meenakshi Lekhi. Joshi’s supporters said when the MLA was told about Vadra’s presence in the airport, he reached out to him with a bouquet.

The MLA’s supporters said when security personnel informed Vadra about Joshi, he immediatel­y retorted, saying he “will not accept a bouquet from the person, who broke the limb of Shaktiman”. “Shaktiman was a horse and could not speak. But I am Robert Vadra,” a BJP worker quoted Vadra as telling Joshi.

Speaking after the incident, Vadra said, “I told him what I thought of him. He came towards me screaming, shouting and threatenin­g. I told him the horse could not speak but I can.”

Meenakshi Lekhi, a BJP MP from Delhi, said the altercatio­n happened as “Vadra tried to abuse the BJP leader, provoking party workers to shout slogans against him”.

 ?? HT FILE ?? Police horse Shaktiman died almost a month after losing a leg from a beating allegedly at the hands of BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi.
HT FILE Police horse Shaktiman died almost a month after losing a leg from a beating allegedly at the hands of BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi.

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