Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the Sant Kabir Nagar incident in which a parliamentarian and a legislator of the Bharatiya Janata Party had clashed in collectorate was disgraceful as it brought a bad name to the party known for its discipline.
Addressing a private function here on Thursday, the Chief Minister said he was pained to know about the incident. “I can only say it is a shocking incident. The BJP is a disciplined party. Indiscipline will not be tolerated... Stern action will be taken against the leader found guilty,” he said.
Sharad Tripathi, the BJP MP from Sant Kabir Nagar, first beat up party MLA from Medhawal, Rakesh Singh Baghel, with shoes and later the MLA retaliated and slapped the MP. Both the leaders abused each other during the district planning meeting held there on Wednesday.
After the incident, Baghel’s supporters gheraoed the collectorate and the MLA sat on a dharna, which was called off on the insistence of the Chief Minister.
Later, talking to the media in Sant Kabir Nagar, Tripathi said what happened was unfortunate. “It happened in the heat of the moment for which I apologise,” he said.
Baghel also apologised for his conduct.
BJP state president Mahendra Nath Pandey had summoned both the lawmakers to Lucknow. Baghel met Pandey in the evening while Tripathi is expected to meet him in the night.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh, who was to chair a district planning meeting in Basti, has cancelled his visit and authorised the Member of Parliament for Basti to chair the meeting.