Robert Vadra slams BJP for election ticket to man who hit Shaktiman

NEW DELHI: Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra today slammed the BJP for giving a poll ticket to the Uttarakhand lawmaker who last year allegedly thrashed a police horse Shaktiman.

Last year in March, BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi was caught on film at a protest rally appearing to kick and thrash Shaktiman in a fit of rage. The 14-year-old horse's hind leg was shattered and he never recovered, dying a little over a month late.

"I am completely appalled at the choice of BJP for the Mussoorie candidature: Mr. Ganesh Joshi," Vadra wrote in a Facebook post today, referring to today's state elections in Uttarakhand, where Mussoorie is a constituency.


Vadra said that Shaktiman died because of the "atrocities" against him.

"For those who might have forgotten, Joshi is the same man who had mercilessly beaten up 'Shaktiman' & the poor horse had eventually died due to atrocities on him," Vadra wrote further.

Vadra, husband of Sonia's daughter Priyanka, has clearly not forgotten Shaktiman or Joshi. Last year in August, he went out of his way to give Joshi "a piece of his mind" when he spotted him at Dehradun airport.

"Just took on Shaktiman killer BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi. I saw him with his entourage at the airport at Dehradun receiving some BJP MP and I told him what I thought of him. He then came towards me screaming, shouting and threatening. But I told him that if the horse can't speak then I will," Vadra told ANI about the encounter.

Today, Vadra wondered why the BJP would put up a candidate like Joshi.

"It intrigues me what is BJP's criteria of choosing its candidates? Is clean image, sanity of mind & honesty of no relevance while choosing the candidates? Will India have leaders like Joshi who are inhuman? Shocking & saddening," he wrote.