Gujarat BJP seeks action over circulation of old video of shoe hurled at Minister Mandaviya

PORBANDAR: The ruling BJP has lodged a complaint with the poll authorities, seeking action against people involved in circulating an old video of a man hurling a shoe at Union Minister and BJP's Lok Sabha candidate for Porbandar seat Mansukh Mandaviya. In a complaint to the district collector and election officer K D Lakhani on Sunday, the BJP's Porbandar district unit said a video of the incident that took place in 2017 was deliberately circulated on social media platforms to tarnish the image of the BJP and Mandaviya and take political advantage ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

In the video, a man hurls a shoe at Mandaviya who was addressing a small gathering in Vallabhipur town of Bhavnagar.

"Though the video is six years old, it is being circulated now by some elements, claiming that a shoe was hurled at Mandaviya on April 6 during a poll campaign. This old video is being circulated now to take political advantage by tarnishing the image of BJP and its Porbandar candidate Mandaviya ahead of the elections," the complaint stated.


"Mandaviya is a respectable national leader and has been in public life for 22 years. He has been serving as a central minister for the last eight years. Hence, such an attempt to tarnish his image has hurt the feelings of his supporters and well-wishers. We want the authorities to take stringent action against those involved in circulating this video," it said.

The incident occurred on May 28, 2017, when Mandaviya, then serving as Union MoS for Transport, addressed a small gathering at Vallabhipur town in Bhavnagar district.

Bhavesh Sonani, a 20-year-old college student who was a member of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti at that time, hurled his shoe at Mandaviya, but it landed some meters away. The Patidar quota agitation led by Hardik Patel was at its peak at the time.

Sonani was arrested by the local police under sections 353 (assaulting public servant) and 186 (obstructing public servant) of the Indian Penal Code.