Congress MP slaps woman MP on the cheek, video of India Block rally in Delhi goes viral, both say - joking

A video of Congress MP from Ramtek in Maharashtra, Shyamkumar Barve, slapping his own party's MP Pratibha Dhanorkar on the cheek is going viral. The video is said to be from the India Bloc rally of November 1, which went viral on Wednesday. In the video, Chandrapur Lok Sabha MP Pratibha Dhanorkar is seen sitting next to MP Varsha Gaikwad. She was laughing at a joke. After that, Barve was seen standing near her and slapping her lightly. Dhanorkar was shocked and looked upset. The incident took place inside a bus parked at one place. Both the leaders have termed the incident as a joke. In the 10-second video, first a smile, then a slap, then an annoyance, Barve said, "Dhanorkar is like a younger sister," Barve told the media on Wednesday. He said the video was being circulated to defame the party's protest rally. "We were just joking and nothing more," Barve said. He also termed the alleged email sent by some Congress workers in Nagpur to the party leadership as fake. In this email, a complaint was made about the incident. Dhanorkar also did not give much importance to the incident. He told reporters that he and some other women leaders were joking about Barve's marital status. During that time, Barve slapped him in jest. Protest against CEC Gyanesh held in Delhi on November 1 The India block held a protest against the Chief Election Commissioner at Ramlila Maidan on November 1. It was attended by several leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Supriya Sule. 8 leaders gave speeches.