New Delhi: A controversial video emerged from Madhya Pradesh (MP) on Friday showing Congress lawmaker Shakuntala Khatik inciting farmers and party workers to burn down a nearby police station, with a senior cop standing next to her requesting her to stop.
“Thaaney mein aag lagaa do [burn down the police station],” Khatik said as she shouted slogans with the protesters on Thursday evening.
Khatik hails from Shivpuri district, which is about 300km from Mandsaur, the epicentre of violent protests by farmers demanding better prices for their produce.
The protests, which started over a week ago, escalated after the death of five farmers on Monday.
During Thursday’s protest, Khatik and her supporters burnt the effigy of the state’s chief minister (CM,) Shivraj Singh Chouhan, to protest the killing of farmers.
Khatik’s video was later shared by MP state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on Twitter. Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Bagga posted the video in a tweet describing her speech as “shameful.”
Reacting to the incident, BJP leader Nitesh Bajpai said the incident “showed the dirty politics played by Congress in MP.”
Since the violence broke out in the state, BJP has accused Congress of instigating farmers to turn violent.
“Farmers are peacefully raising their issues but Congress leaders and workers are indulging in violence. We have registered cases against them,” BJP spokesperson G.V.L. Narasimha Rao told media on Friday.
Khatik has denied any wrongdoing. She blamed the police for misbehaving with her.
“The video is twisted to malign my image. These are false allegations. Rather water cannons were used against me,” she told media.
Meanwhile, another video that went viral on Friday had Congress lawmaker Jeetu Patwari asking local sub-divisional magistrate “will you now take responsibility for the violence flaring up?”
Reacting to farmer protests, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said there was no need to deploy security forces in Mandsaur.
“But as per available information, there are some forces instigating the agitation in Madhya Pradesh. As the state government has ordered an inquiry into the matter, we should wait for its findings,” Singh said.
