In an embarrassment for the BJP, a senior party leader and MLC Vikram Randhawa was virtually roughed up by an unruly crowd in the Chatta area of Jammu district on Sunday evening when he along with party workers was canvassing for Jammu candidate Jugal Kishore Sharma.
The incident came to light after two videos went viral on the social media where Randhawa and his supporters were forcibly made to leave the area amid anti-BJP sloganeering after having a brief scuffle and heated exchange with locals.
According to locals, Randhawa was canvassing in the Chatta area, which falls in the Gandhi Nagar Assembly segment, to seek votes for Jugal Kishore. About a hundred residents, led by Chatta sarpanch Ravinder Singh Chib, questioned BJP leaders about the non-construction of a 3-km road, connecting the Chatta bus stand with the Khandwal area, in the past five years.
“We came to know that former Deputy CM Kavinder Gupta, who represented the segment, and the MLC were visiting our panchayat to seek votes. We wanted to know from them
The sarpanch said, “As Kavinder didn’t come, we sought reasons from Randhawa for the delay. He could not give any satisfactory reason and tried to muzzle my voice by pushing me to the side which irked locals. Our main objective was to make them accountable.” Downplaying the incident, Randhawa alleged it was “stage-managed” by the Congress.
