Janjivan Bureau / NEW DELHI: The BJP’s Haryana unit chief Subhash Barala finally spoke to the media on Tuesday saying that a woman his son allegedly stalked on Friday is “like my daughter” and denying there is any pressure to influence the investigation of the alleged stalking incident.
Doesn’t matter whose son he is. If we give free hand to police they’ll find things out commented Punjab CM Capt. Amarinder Singh.
Varnika, a daughter of a senior Haryana IAS officer, alleged she was stalked, harassed and almost waylaid by Vikas and a friend of his on Friday night. She was driving by herself in Chandigarh when Vikas and his friend began to follow her, she said. At one point they allegedly backed her into a corner and came out of their vehicle towards her car, but she managed to pull away, she wrote in a Facebook post.
The duo were inebriated said the police who charged them after their arrest with “stalking and wrongful restraint”.
“Varnika is like my daughter, there is no pressure to influence the investigation,” said Barala, referring to Varnika Kundu, the woman who said she was harassed by Barala’s son Vikas on Friday night in Chandigarh.
Vikas was arrested Friday night after Varnika, who was driving alone, called the police even while she was being chased around the city by Vikas and a friend of his. He was later granted bail.
“The law should take its own course, the BJP is a party which believes in women’s rights and freedom,” Vikas’s father said.
Allegations are flying fast and thick that the BJP is trying to shield the Baralas, even as calls for his resignation are increasing, even within the BJP.
On Monday, a BJP lawmaker from Haryana, RK Saini, demanded that Barala resign.
“Before someone points a finger, to save the party’s image, he (Barala) must resign,” said the BJP’s Saini.
On Monday, the opposition Congress too slammed the BJP for an alleged cover-up.
“The BJP is drunk on power…The police proceeded to lodge a case under bailable offences on the direction and diktat of the Union government, which is trying to cover up the matter,” said Congress Haryana leader RS Surjewala, alleging the BJP at the Centre is shielding Barala and his son.
“The home ministry which directly controls the Chandigarh administration, and the police, are conspiring to hush up the matter to protect the Haryana BJP president and his son,” Surjewala said.
