Viral Video Shows BJP MP Kissing Woman During Bengal Campaign, Sparks Row

BJP MP Khagen Murmu has waded into a controversy over a video from his campaign trail showing him kissing a woman on her cheeks. Sharing screengrabs from the viral video, the Trinamool has accused the BJP leaders of being anti-women.

"If you cannot believe what you just saw, let us clarify. Yes, this is BJP MP & Maldaha Uttar candidate @khagen_murmu kissing a woman on his own accord on his campaign trail," said the Trinamool.

The woman, however, referred to the incident as an "act of affection" while speaking to a local TV channel.

"Where's the problem if a person of my father's age shows his affection towards me and plants a kiss on my cheeks? Why do people have such a dirty mindset? There's nothing wrong in it," she said.

Mr Murmu, a former CPM MLA who joined the BJP in 2019, too justified his act saying the woman is like "his child". The incident reportedly occurred on Monday when Mr Murmu was campaigning in his Maldaha Uttar constituency. 

The Trinamool, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, also accused the BJP politicians of being anti-women.

"From MPs that sexually harass women wrestlers to leaders who make obscene songs about Bengali women, BJP camp has no dearth of anti-women politicians. This is how Modi Ka Parivar engages in Nari Ka Samman! Imagine what they would do if they came to power," the party added.

It was referring to former wrestling body chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a BJP MP accused of sexual assault by women wrestlers, and Pawan Singh, a former BJP candidate from Asansol who quit the contest after his songs were criticized for allegedly having objectionable references to Bengali women.

Mr Murmu hit back at the Trinamool over the allegations, saying, "People often show affection to children. This is not an issue. This is Trinamool's culture." He has also threatened to lodge a cyber crime complaint against the Trinamool.