BJP MP Sharad Tripathi attacks party MLA Rakesh Baghel with shoe after quarrel over foundation stone for UP road

BJP MP Sharad Tripathi on Wednesday attacked party MLA Rakesh Baghel with his shoe over his name not being included in the foundation stone of a project, according to several media reports.

#WATCH Sant Kabir Nagar: BJP MP Sharad Tripathi and BJP MLA Rakesh Singh exchange blows after an argument broke out over placement of names on a foundation stone of a project pic.twitter.com/gP5RM8DgId

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 6, 2019

The incident occurred during a district coordination meeting in Uttar Pradesh’s Sant Kabir Nagar, about 200 kilometres from state capital Lucknow. According to NDTV, Tripathi asked why his name was not included on the foundation stone for a local road. Baghel said it was his decision. The argument then quickly escalated, with Baghel daring Tripathi to ask the questions “to his shoe” and Tripathi then responded by hitting Baghel with a shoe. Ashutosh, also known as Gopal ji Tandon, a key minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government was at the meeting. According to a Jansatta report, the parliamentarians sitting by the two quarrelling ministers attempted to stop the fight and police officers also jumped in. The meeting was called off following the incident, Amar Ujala reported. According to News18, a police probe is underway.