Controversy stirred in Maharashtra after Marathi TV channel Lokshahi repeatedly broadcast a video which allegedly showed a Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in a ‘compromising’ position. After the matter was brought up in the Upper House of the state legislature on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Minister of Devendra Fadnavis assured a high-level enquiry in the matter. The video, if proven true, could cause a dent in the ruling Eknath Shinde camp Shiv Sena and BJP alliance, which came into power by overthrowing the then-incumbent Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (undivided) government. “It is indeed a serious issue. We will conduct a detailed enquiry. The woman in the video will be identified. Police will be told. Nobody will be protected. A senior-level probe will be conducted,” Fadnavis said, in Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Ambadas Danve and Anil Parab raising the issue in the house.
Earlier Kirit Somaiya had taken to Twitter to claim innocence and sought investigation into the authenticity of the video from Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. “A video clip of me was shown on a news channel. Claimed that I have harassed many women & many such video clips available & complaints received against Me. I have never abused any woman. Request @Dev_Fadnavis to investigate such allegations and verify the authenticity of Videos,” Somaiya wrote on Twitter.
The video was also critiqued by the Maharashtra Congress which claimed that the video exposes the “hypocrisy” of BJP. Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut, without naming Somaiya took to Twitter to quote Bal Thackeray and said, “Don’t kill with religion someone who is going to die by his karma”.
In the Maharshtra Assembly, Danve handed a pen drive to the authorities and claimed it contained an eight-hour video of Somaiya. “A leader who claims to be close to ED, CBI… and now I have some videos with me of him. I salute the woman who gave me the videos,” Danve said. “Many people have gone to prison because of him. He enjoys CISF protection… will the government act against him and remove his security? Please provide the pen drive to the home department for enquiry,” Danve said.
