Indore (Madhya Pradesh): After thrashing a municipal officer with a cricket bat on camera during a demolition drive here on Wednesday, Indore BJP MLA Akash Vijayvargiya denied taking responsibility for his actions and said that he was "very angry" and didn't "remember what he did".
"I was very angry, I don't remember what I did, " said Vijayvargiya in response to a question by a media person.
He also alleged that the demolition was a "setting" between the local Congress leaders and the landlords. He also went on to demand "strict action" against the Police Commissioner and the municipality workers for their high-handedness.
"There seems to be a setting between Congress leaders and the landlords. How long are we going to allow poor people to become homeless? I demand an FIR to be registered against the police commissioner and the municipal authorities and demand strict action against them," said Vijayvargiya.
Akash Vijayvargiya, who is the son of Kailash Vijayvargiya presently serving as the national general secretary of the BJP, also accused male police officers and municipal authorities of manhandling female occupants of housing facilities, "at the behest of the Commissioner of Police, officer Dhirendra Bhayas dragged a woman from her house and abused her. Women were manhandled by several male officers. There were no female officers to carry out the demolition drive."
He further justified his actions saying that the corporation officers were carrying out an illegal drive to demolish a building, "I asked them to leave in 10 minutes, and warned them that we will not tolerate this behaviour any further. How can I let down my voters as a responsible MLA? As an MLA, I have the right to be informed about such drives in my constituency."
"They did not inform me. I was just doing my duty but the Municipality workers are engaging in hooliganism and do not recognise a public representative, " added the MLA who represents Indore-3 Assembly Segment.
Also read: BJP MLA Akash Vijayvargiya arrested for thrashing municipal worker
Meanwhile, state Congress spokesperson Neelabh Shukla condemned the incident and said, "the lawmaker himself has broken the law. The incident has exposed the real face of the BJP. In a way, the incident has exposed the fissures within the BJP, as the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) is represented by a BJP mayor."
The IMC workers held demonstrations and halted their work as a mark of protest against the thrashing of one of their colleagues by Vijayvargiya.
