Preeti Tiwari, the president of Uttar Pradesh Mahila Congress (Western), has alleged that senior officials of the party misbehaved with her at a party event in Mathura. Tiwari stormed out of a training session that was being addressed by Priyanka Vadra, after she was physically stopped by party officials from entering the venue. She had gone to attend a two-day training program organised the party at Vrindavan in Mathura ahead of the assembly elections. Today was the first day of the session.
‘Priyanka Gandhi is addressing the meeting, and they don’t have respect for women’, Preeti Tiwari was heard sayig while coming out of the venue. She told the journalists that when she tried to enter the meeting venue, the state Congress functionaries misbehaved with her and stopped her. Preeti Tiwari said that the party leaders held her by her shoulder, and pushed her away, preventing her from entering the venue. State vice president Yogesh Dixit, state secretary Yogesh Talan, and others stopped her by holding her shoulders.
She said that it does not matter that she is an office-bearer of the party, even an ordinary woman should not be dealt with like this. She said that she was late to the venue and a live video address of Priyanka Vadra was going on. Therefore, they could have asked her to wait, but should not have physically handled her to prevent her from entering the hall. She informed that it was Yogesh Dixit who had touched her shoulder.
Reacting to the incident, the Congress party tried to brush it aside by saying that it was a case of mistaken identity. Pradeep Mathur, former legislative party leader of Congress, said that someone didn’t recognise Preeti Tiwari and stopped her at the gate. He said that when other Congress workers saw this, they intervened and allowed her to enter the venue. He
Mathur added that the incident happened because only delegates were invited to the event, and claimed that the matter was resolved.
However, the excuse of mistaken identity does not explain why a woman was physically mishandled by senior leaders of the party. Also, it is interesting that the party is claiming that the vice president of the state Congress does not recognise the chief of its Women’s wing in Uttar Pradesh, which goes to poll next year.