Just a day after his inclusion into BJP, Brajesh Pathak slaps journalist
NEW DELHI: Brajesh Pathaka former Bahujan Samaj Party leader and a Rajya Sabha MPhas hit the headlines though for wrong reasons after a Delhi journalist filed a written complaint with the police for smashing and hurling abuse at him Tuesday evening. Pathak has joined the BJP on August 22 in a function at the national Capital and welcomed into the party fold by party president Amit Shah.
The complainant Shambhu Kumar Singh, a senior journalist with National Dustak (an online channel and news portal) held a press conference at Press Club of India on Wednesday and alleged that the senior leader slapped him, hurled abuses, smashed camera and manhandled the crewmember after he got annoyed over his unsettling questions on why he left the BSP. “When I asked him what led him to leave the BSP, he accused Mayawati of favouritism and family politics. In response to that I cited example of his wife and brother-in-law contesting assemble elections in 2012. The leader might not have expected this from me. When he could not find an answer he lost his cool.”
The scribe also said that he had been contacted and pressurised by scores of unknown people asking him to withdraw his complaint and settle the matter. “If a journalist can’t pose question, who else will? If one has no answer to any particular question, interviewer has always an option to skip it. But losing his cool or smashing journalist can never be accepted,” said Pankaj Srivastva, a senior journalist present at the conference.
Taking the issue ahead, Sambhu tried to contact Exernal Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during a government function in the national Capital and she assured him of an action in the issue.
Pathak had joined the saffron organisation in the presence of its president Amit Shah and Union minister Mahesh Sharma and was described as a “pillar” in the Hardoi-unnao region of the state. Assembly polls in UP are scheduled next year. Even though he was at the BJP headquarters fulfilling his joining formalities, BSP expelled him from the party, apparently after coming to know of his plans.