Agra: A veterinary doctor in Uttar Pradesh's Agra has alleged that BJP MP and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi has used unparliamentary language to scold him over a surgery case of a dog. A purported audio clip of their telephonic conversation has gone viral on social media. Dr LN Gupta alleged that the former Union Minister called him on June 21 and used foul language during their conversation. She also threatened to cancel his license.
As soon as the audio went viral on social media, appeals seeking an apology from the minister started trending on Twitter. According to Dr LN Gupta, a dog was brought to him on June 1 from Gwalior for uterus surgery. He told the owners of the dog that it would be needing special post-operation care but the animal was brought to his clinics twice with broken stitches and later it was taken to Delhi for further treatment.
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"Following this, Maneka Gandhi called me and started misbehaving. She used foul language and abused my family and profession. She also asked me to give Rs 70,000 to the owner of the dog as compensation," he claimed. Dr Gupta said that he has reported the issue to the Indian Veterinary Association and is waiting for further instructions. On the other hand, the Indian Veterinary Association has also written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and BJP president JP Nadda on the issue and urged them to take cognisance of the remarks, which it said, damages the reputation of the saffron party.
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The association demanded that the BJP MP from Sultanpur withdraw her comments and also issue a public apology. Meanwhile, a three-member inquiry committee has also been constituted to interrogate the veterinary doctor. Chief Veterinary Officer Dr VS Singh Tomar informed that the committee, formed on the directions of Agra DM Prabhu Narayan Singh, also visited Gupta's clinic and served him a notice. The committee has also sought Gupta's registration, license and other relevant documents by Thursday.
On Wednesday, veterinarians across the country observed a “black day” and sported black badges to protest against Maneka Gandhi. The nationwide protest call was given by the Indian Veterinary Association. According to Umesh Sharma, president of IVA, during the COVID-19 crisis, more than 150 veterinarians and over 1,000 para-medics have lost their lives while serving the nation.
Note: ETV Bharat has not verified the authenticity of the audio file
