BJP Seeks Jharkhand Minister's Resignation Over Alleged Chat With Woman

The BJP's Jharkhand unit on Sunday launched a no-holds-barred attack on state Health Minister and Congress leader Banna Gupta after a video of his purported video chat with a woman went viral on social media.

The minister, however, was quick to issue a clarification over the alleged video chat, terming it "fake and edited".

Hitting out at the state Health minister over his alleged video chat, the BJP demanded his resignation and a probe into the matter.

Sharing the viral clip of the minister's purported video chat with the woman, BJP MP from Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey, claimed that the video exposed the true face of the Congress.

Speaking to ANI, the spokesperson for the BJP in Jharkhand, Pratul Shahdeo, said the Congress should clarify its position on the "obscene and objectionable" video.

"The viral video purportedly showing the Health minister is highly objectionable. Though the veracity of the clip hasn't been ascertained as yet, we want to know if it's real or fake. Since he is a member of the state cabinet headed by the chief minister (Hemant Soren), it is the CM's responsibility to order a probe to find out if the clip is real or fake," Shahdeo said.

However, he said if the purported video turns out to be genuine, the minister should step down immediately.

Meanwhile, the state Health minister hit back at the BJP over its "vindictive politics", claiming that the purported clip is part of a "conspiracy" to tarnish his image.

Terming the purported video chat as "fake and edited", the minister released a statement saying that he has already filed an FIR in the matter.

"A fake and edited video has been deliberately circulated on social media. It's quite clear that the video is photoshopped or has been edited through any other editing app. I have already filed an FIR in the matter. I will pursue legal action against those behind this fake video," the Congress leader said.