‘Congress started hating me after…’: Radhika Khera claims she was locked in room

NEW DELHI: Chhattisgarh Congress leader Radhika Khera, who resigned from the party on Sunday after alleging ‘disrespect’ from the state unit, claimed that the Congress began to “hate her” after she visited the Ayodhya Ram Temple and was reprimanded for sharing videos or photos of the grand temple.

Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Khera said that the party instructed her not to visit the temple during the election period.

“I always heard that Congress is anti-Ram, anti-Sanatan and anti-Hindu but I never believed it. Mahatma Gandhi used to start every meeting with ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’. I got exposed to this reality when I went to the Ram temple with my grandmother and after returning from there, I put a ‘Jai Shri Ram’ flag on the door of my house and after that, the Congress party started hating me. Whenever I posted photos or videos, I was scolded and asked why did I visit Ayodhya when elections were under way”, Radhika Khera said.

She further alleged that during Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the media chairman of Chhattisgarh Congress offered her alcohol.

“During Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the media chairman of Chhattisgarh Congress, Sushil Anand Shukha, offered me alcohol and he, along with 5-6 party workers, used to knock on the door of my room in an inebriated condition. I informed Sachin Pilot and Jairam Ramesh but nothing happened. I later understood that I was ignored because I did not follow the anti-Hindu ideology of the party”, she added.

Khera further claimed that Sushil Anand Shukha misbehaved and abused her, adding that no action was taken by the party leaders.

“On April 30, when I went to talk to the media chairman of Chhattisgarh Congress, Sushil Anand Shukha, he started misbehaving with me and abusing me. I screamed a lot. I also shouted and told people to go down and call the general secretary, but no one moved. Then, when I took out my phone and said that ‘I was recording you’. Sushil Anand Shukla made a gesture and two more people in that room closed the door from inside. The room remained locked for about a minute and I was abused”.

“Mujhe gandi gandi gaaliya di gai… All three men got up and came towards me. I kept screaming but no one tried to open the door…I pushed the door very hard and opened it and went to the room of the state general secretary, but he kept sitting with his shoes off. No one stood up, no one called that man, no one asked, what happened”, she claimed.

While having tears in her eyes, Khera claimed to have informed Sachin Pilot and Jairam Ramesh about the incident, but none of the leaders of the party responded to her.

“The first thing I did was call Sachin Pilot but he did not speak to me, his PA told me that Sachin Pilot was busy. His PA had a conversation with someone there and then he told me not to speak anything about the incident, not to open my mouth. After this, I called Bhupesh Baghel, Pawan Khera and Jairam Ramesh, but none of them responded”, she said.

“Later, Bhupesh Baghel called me back and I told him that I wanted to leave politics, but he asked me to leave Chhattisgarh and then I understood how all of this was just a conspiracy”, she added.

On Sunday, party leader Radhika Khera resigned from the primary membership of the party after she alleged mistreatment by party members. In her letter to the AICC, the Congress leader alleged that justice was denied to her after the mistreatment by party members as she visited the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

“It is an established truth since ancient times that those who support religion have been opposed. Examples of this range from Hiranyakashipu to Ravana and Kansa. At present, some people are opposing those who take the name of Lord Shri Ram in the same way. For every Hindu, the birthplace of Lord Shri Ram holds great significance with its sacredness and while every Hindu considers his life successful just by seeing Ram Lalla, some people are opposing it”, she wrote.

“The party to which I have given more than 22 years of my life, where I worked with full honesty from NSUI to AICC’s media department, today I have to face such intense opposition because I couldn’t stop myself from visiting Ram Lalla in Ayodhya”, she said in her letter.

She further said that she has taken this step after justice was denied to her, even after informing all the top leaders. (ANI)