The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday (October 5) shared a video showing a deeply troubling incident where a female Congress worker was allegedly molested on stage during a Congress event in Haryana. The incident took place in the presence of Congress MP Deepender Hooda and other senior leaders. The BJP sharply criticised the Congress for the incident, calling it the “most anti-women party” in the country. Congress MP Kumari Selja, however, condemned the act and demanded immediate action against those responsible.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, taking a direct dig at the Congress, blamed the party’s “culture” for the incident. He accused the Congress of having a long history of disrespect towards women, the poor, and marginalised communities like Dalits.
“They don’t respect anyone, including women, the poor, and Dalits. This is in their culture and DNA. If we get an application in this regard, then we will take action. Our government will take strict action and not spare anyone. Women are an integral part of the society,” said CM Saini, emphasising that the state government would not hesitate to act if a formal complaint is filed.
On the other side, Congress MP Kumari Selja confirmed that she had personally spoken to the woman involved in the incident and stressed the need for strict punishment for the perpetrators.
“I spoke to her, she told me that some people were touching her and trying to remove her from the stage. We saw the same in the video as well and when I confirmed this with her, she told me that someone misbehaved with her. If something like this happens to a woman today, it is highly condemnable. Action should be taken on this,” Selja stated, reinforcing her call for accountability within the party.
The BJP’s official spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawalla, also took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), expressing outrage over the incident, calling it “most shocking.” He questioned whether women could feel safe under Congress leadership if such incidents occurred openly in party meetings.
“A woman Congress leader was molested on stage in the presence of Deependra Hooda by Congress leaders. Confirmed by news reports and even Kumari Selja. If women are not safe in Congress meetings in full public view during the daytime—can they be safe if Congress comes to power?” Poonawalla tweeted.
He went on to recall previous incidents involving Congress, stating, “Remember Simi John, Sharda Rathore, Radhika Khera and many women who were abused by men in Congress itself or spoke up about ‘casting couch’ culture in Congress. Where is Priyanka Vadra and Rahul Gandhi? No ‘ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon’? Will they act on Hooda supporters?”
While this political controversy unfolds, the state of Haryana also saw significant voter turnout in the ongoing assembly elections. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), a voter turnout of 49.13 percent was recorded across the 90 assembly seats as of 3 pm on Saturday. Leading districts in voter participation included Yamunanagar with 56.79 percent and Mewat with 56.59 percent, while the lowest turnout was recorded in Gurugram at 38.61 percent.
The assembly elections, which saw voting from 7 AM to 6 PM, featured 1,031 candidates across 90 constituencies, with 20,632 polling booths set up. The results for the Haryana Assembly elections are scheduled to be declared on October 8, alongside those of Jammu and Kashmir.
In the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP secured 40 out of the 90 seats and formed a coalition government with the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which won 10 seats. The Congress followed closely with 31 seats. However, the JJP later parted ways with the BJP-led coalition, leaving the political future of the state at a crucial crossroads.
