Rahul Gandhi attacks BJP over Delhi minister slapping man, says vote theft buys arrogance

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday attacked the BJP after a video surfaced on social media showing Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma slapping a man during a road inspection. Gandhi alleged that "vote theft buys not just the result, but the arrogance that follows", while the minister hit back, saying, "Rahul ji, aap rehne do bhai, aapko kuch nahi pata".

The exchange came amid a political row in Delhi over the incident, which took place during an inspection of a newly laid road in Tilak Nagar in west Delhi. The man who was slapped later identified himself as Saheb Singh, an associate of AAP MLA Jarnail Singh, and police said he has lodged a complaint against the minister at Vikaspuri police station.

In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "A BJP minister from the Delhi government is seen slapping a young man in a video. His crime? He was making a video. A road was being dug up right in front of the minister, and he had a camera in his hand." He added, "This is the face of a power that no longer fears the voters." Gandhi also said, "Ask a question on the street -- a slap. Ask a question on paper leaks -- a lathi charge. Ask a question in Parliament -- the mic is switched off. These people do this because they no longer fear that elections can remove them." He further said, "Vote theft buys this -- not just the result, but the arrogance that follows," and, "A government that takes victory for granted doesn't need your consent -- it demands your silence and 'andhbhakti'."

The row began after Parvesh Sahib Singh visited the spot following complaints about the quality of the road work. According to the sequence of events, AAP MLA Jarnail Singh, who was present there, questioned the quality of the work and pulled out portions of the road surface by hand. A man standing nearby and recording the proceedings was then slapped by the minister.

Parvesh Singh, however, said the clip shared by the Aam Aadmi Party was shown without context. In a video message posted by the Delhi BJP on X, he said, "MLA Jarnail Singh had complained of poor road construction work, and when I visited the spot, I requested the AAP MLA to also come there." He alleged that Jarnail Singh called AAP workers to the site, that they abused him and his family, and that this led him to react "in a manner any common man would". He also said, "When his (AAP MLA's) worker abused my family, I did what any person would do after getting angry." The minister further accused Jarnail Singh of seeking a commission in the road repair work and said an FIR would be registered in the matter.

Saheb Singh, the man seen in the video, said he handled Jarnail Singh's social media work and was recording the inspection when the incident took place. "I was recording a video of the inspection when Parvesh Singh snatched my phone and raised his hand at me, which is clearly visible in the video. His security personnel held my hand and grabbed me by the neck, and pulled me away," he said. The incident has since triggered a political war of words, with Gandhi targeting the BJP and the minister defending his actions while blaming the AAP MLA and his supporters.