Congress party on Sunday condemned the act of celebratory firing by the supporters of Akash Vijayvargiya, a BJP legislator from Indore, after he walked out of prison on bail, four days after he was arrested for beating up a civic body official with a cricket bat.
"Despite being ashamed of what BJP legislator did a few days back, his supporters are bracing his act by firing celebratory gunshots. These people are conveying the wrong message in society by promoting such criminal activities. This is not an occasion to celebrate, legal action must be taken against him," Kunal Chaudhry, the Congress MLA and the Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress, told ANI.
"This is Mahatma Gandhi's nation and BJP party is trying to run this nation with Nathuram Godse's principles. Kamal Nath-led government will work for this state and we are working towards better health, education and security conditions," he added.
In a video, which is being shared on social media, supporters of the first-time legislator are seen firing in the air and garlanding Vijayvargiya, the son of BJP's National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya.
"Police should register a case against the people responsible for celebratory firing and stern action should be taken against them," Manak Agarwal of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, told ANI.
A day after a Bhopal court granted bail to Akash in the assault case, the BJP MLA was released from Indore District jail on Sunday morning. Sweets were also distributed to police personnel outside his residence in Indore.
On June 26, a Municipal Corporation officer, who was on an anti-encroachment drive in Indore, was chased away by Akash and supporters. A video of the dramatic incident, showing the legislator beating up an officer with a cricket bat, went viral, drawing criticism from the opposition.
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"This is the reality of our era where people believe in taking the law in their hands, the more you misbehave and spread hate the more you get closer to your chances of becoming a minister. None of the supporters who fired celebratory gunshots has been penalized, that is what encourages other people as well," Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) spokesperson Manoj Jha told ANI.
BJP chief Amit Shah sought a report about the thrashing incident from the party's Madhya Pradesh unit even as Vjayvargiya's supporters rallied behind him and camped outside the jail where he was imprisoned.