Clearing the air over his viral picture, BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on Monday said that he was only telling the officer that his shoes have been ripped off because of running from pillar to post in the Municipal Corporation.
"I was an MLA then and there was a water scarcity in the area. We were doing this movement for seven days. The then Additional Superintendent of Police Pramod Fulnikar said that he will take the initiative and ask the Commissioner to ensure that water supply is ensured in the area," he said while addressing a gathering here.
"Even after that, there was no water supply. So we again started our movement. So I was telling him that I have been moving from pillar to post which has ripped off my shoes. (Nagar nigam ke chakkar lagate-lagate mere joote ghis gaye)," he said while addressing a gathering here.
In the old picture that has gone viral on social media, the BJP leader is seen showing his shoes to an officer.
The BJP leader claimed that the "story" was fed by Congress spokespersons and the media displayed it without even cross-checking it.
"I don't have a problem with it. Congress spokespersons fed the media and media displayed it without even cross-checking it. It doesn't make a difference to me. But it hurt Pramod Fulnikar. He (Pramod Fulnikar) said that his daughter asked him about it," the BJP leader said.
"Pramod Fulnikar was a very honest officer. I respect him from the core of my heart. Even talking of hitting him by shoes is a sin," he added.
Asserting that such things erode the credibility of the media, the BJP leader said, "One should portray the incidents correctly. It has been shown that I was a mayor. I was not a mayor. I was an MLA. I was doing a movement in the wake of water crisis."
"Will a mayor be doing a movement for water?" he asked.
The picture went viral days after his son Akash, was arrested for thrashing a Municipal Corporation officer, who was in the area for an anti-encroachment drive, with a cricket bat mercilessly and slapped three times before the police stopped the legislator.
Akash was arrested on June 26. On June 29, a special court in Bhopal granted him bail in the assault case.
( With inputs from ANI )