VIDEO | Karnataka Minister Slaps Woman at Public Event, She then Touches his Feet; Cong Wants Action

A Karnataka minister is under fire after a video of him slapping a woman at a public event to distribute land titles in the state’s Chamarajanagar district surfaced on Saturday.

Housing Minister of Karnataka V Somanna was attending an event Saturday at Hangala village in Gundlupet taluk where 173 beneficiaries were handed out land title deeds. The woman, identified as Kempamma, alleged that the selection process for the beneficiaries was rigged, the Indian Express reported.

In the video, the woman can be seeing confronting the minister to which he slapped her. She can be seen touching his feet immediately after the altercation, and security officials can be seen dragging her away.

However, the woman later denied reports of the minister slapping her and said he consoled and helped her. ?I went there to ask for help &requested him to give land. At the same time,I fell on his feet, and somebody said that he (Karnataka Minister V Somanna) slapped me. There was no slap, it?s just an allegation against the minister,? she told news agency ANI.

While the minister has not yet reacted to the incident, the woman has said that Somanna was only consoling her after she tried to prostrate before him with a plea to allot her a government plot.

The minister?s office shared a video in which the woman said she only pleaded a plot be granted to her as she was too poor. ?I bowed at his feet with the plea and the minister lifted me consoling me that he would help me but it was publicised that he beat me up,? the woman accompanied by her children said in the video, as per PTI.

Meanwhile, the video drew criticism from opposition parties. Congress general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh criticised the minister for his purported conduct. ?What a difference from the way @RahulGandhi began the Karnataka leg of #BharatJodoYatra from the very same Gundlupet on 30th September! This shameless man should be sacked immediately!? Ramesh tweeted.

Janata Dal (Secular) spokesperson Tanveer Ahmed National also shared the video on his Twitter handle saying, ?Mr @VSOMANNA_BJP can you justify what you did. Honourable @narendramodi @JPNadda @blsanthosh @AmitShah @BSYBJP @BSBommai how can you tolerate this action by a politician for over 30 years.?

The official Twitter handle of the TMC also wrote, ?EXTREMELY APPALLNG! @BJP4Karnataka Minister SLAPS WOMAN who claimed that the selection process for beneficiaries of land title deeds, was RIGGED. Under @BJP4India?s misrule, if you raise your grievances to public representatives, you will be ASSAULTED.?

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