With public outrage continuing against Khanpur MLA Pranav Singh ‘Champion’ after the spread of a controversial video clip, the Bharatiya Janata Party has extended his three-month suspension to an indefinite time period. Earlier, on Wednesday, on the directions of the BJP State president Ajay Bhatt, a show cause notice was served to the MLA asking him to explain within 10 days as to why he should not be expelled from the party.
It will be recalled that a couple of days ago, a brief video clip went viral on the social media showing the MLA dancing to a filmy song while brandishing three handguns and one carbine. He was also seen sipping what appears to be alcohol and using abusive language for Uttarakhand. It will be recalled that earlier, the MLA had been suspended for three months by the State party unit after allegedly threatening a journalist in the national Capital. On Thursday, the three-month suspension was extended to an indefinite time period as both the MLA and the party continued to face criticism for the questionable behaviour and language of the Khanpur MLA in the video clip.
On the other hand, Champion has continued to plead innocence, stating that the said video clip has been tampered with and spread as part of the conspiracy by his detractors against him. He said that he has been undertaking bed-rest since undergoing an operation on his leg on June 22. He said, “Due to my consistent efforts for a year, the chief minister approved the opening of SIIDCUL estate in Khanpur. This would provide jobs to thousands of unemployed youth. On July 7, I posted a video regarding this on my social media account after which my rivals dubbed and edited an old video clip and spread it on the social media. This appears to be a political conspiracy against me.