BJP MP Nishikant Dubey shared a video clip on social media purportedly showing Congress leader and Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta engaging in an "obscene" phone conversation with a woman. Terming the video "fake and edited", the minister said his political opponents circulated it to tarnish his image. In a statement, the minister said it was part of a conspiracy and that a complaint had been filed with the police.
"I have lodged an FIR in this connection and police will soon probe it. I will take legal action against the persons who have tried to frame me," Gupta said. Dubey posted the 19-second clip on his verified Twitter handle and wrote, "This is the character of @INCIndia, this is the so-called matter of Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta ji. Playing with dignity of women, Congress worker Sushil Sharma burning his wife in oven, I wish Gandhi family could understand, if this is found true then the Congress should drown itself in shame."
"The video received from a private news portal is in my possession," Dubey, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Godda, told PTI. The veracity of the video, however, could not be confirmed. The state Congress president and the chief minister's office could be contacted for comments on the matter. The Congress is part of the ruling alliance in the state led by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.
