New Delhi, November 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A controversy has erupted over a video purportedly showing Congress MP Shyamkumar Barve slapping fellow party MP Pratibha Dhanorkar while the two were travelling by bus to attend the INDIA bloc rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan. Union Minister Ramdas Athawale and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam have criticised the alleged incident.
Reacting to the video, Athawale termed the alleged act unacceptable and said the Congress should respect women.
“Congress leader slapping a woman is absolutely wrong. The Congress party should respect women, but its actions do not reflect that sentiment. Slapping a woman is unacceptable, and the person who did so should apologise. Raising a hand against women is never acceptable,” Athawale told IANS.
Dhanorkar, however, dismissed the controversy, describing the exchange as a casual interaction with a fellow MP whom she considers like a brother. She said there was no ill intent and alleged that the incident was being distorted and circulated for political purposes.
“An incident that occurred very simply and naturally with a fellow MP, who is like a brother to me, while en route to that movement, is today being made viral on social media with a highly distorted mentality and in a wrongful manner. I strongly condemn this twisting and misuse for political gain of that simple incident, in which there was absolutely no ill intent,” she said in a social media statement.
She further alleged that political opponents were attempting to tarnish her reputation by taking the interaction out of context. Dhanorkar said she would not be intimidated by what she described as malicious propaganda.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam also criticised the video, calling it objectionable and questioning the treatment of the woman MP.
“This video is highly objectionable. Congress leaders should be ashamed after watching it. The video is from November 1, during the journey of Congress MPs by bus to and from the rally organised by the Congress and other opposition parties at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan to save democracy and the Constitution. It shows a Congress MP assaulting another woman MP, whom I believe to be Pratibha Dhanorkar,” Nirupam told IANS.
He described the incident as shameful and said Dhanorkar’s dignity as a woman public representative had been compromised.
Both Barve and Dhanorkar are MPs from Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region. Dhanorkar was elected to the Lok Sabha from Chandrapur following the death of her husband and former MP Balubhau Dhanorkar.
The video has triggered contrasting reactions, with political leaders condemning the alleged act while Dhanorkar maintains that the interaction was harmless and has been misrepresented.
FOLLOW NOW
