Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya.
Credit: PTI Photo
BJP MP Sanghamitra Maurya on Wednesday called the recent incident in which a shoe was hurled at her father and Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya a 'political stunt'.
A shoe was thrown at Swami Prasad Maurya during a party event in Lucknow on Monday.
The shoe, however, did not reach up to Maurya while SP workers overpowered the alleged assailant and thrashed him. He was later handed over to the police.
Speaking to newspersons in her parliamentary constituency, the BJP MP said, "This is not a new thing. But being a people's representative, being a part of a democracy, I feel that it is wrong to stoop down to such a level."
"As far as I remember, it started from 2008, when a shoe was hurled at then US President George Bush and after that the person who threw it, (Muntazer al-Zaidi) Zaidi became a hero, contested and won the election," she said.
"In 2009, a shoe was thrown at the then Home Minister P Chidambaram. Your own journalist friend threw it in Delhi, he became famous, contested elections and became an MLA. So I feel that throwing shoes and ink is being used by people as a political stunt to become famous and to establish themselves," she told the media.
"But stooping to such an extent in democracy to become famous is condemnable and I oppose it. This is not a new thing," she added.