Congress general secretary in-charge Asha Kumari categorically said that a text message does not amount to sexual harassment. (File Photo)
Defending a Punjab minister in a case of inappropriate text, Congress general secretary in-charge Asha Kumari on Friday categorically said that a text message does not amount to sexual harassment. Kumari, who was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the party’s pan-India protest outside the CBI office in Chandigarh, said the Congress party had not received any complaint from anyone in the Punjab Cabinet minister’s inappropriate text case.
The Punjab Cabinet minister in question has been accused of sending an inappropriate message at an inappropriate hour to an IAS officer, who had complained to the CM following which the CM got the minister to apologise.
Responding to a question that Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, in his statement to the media, had already confirmed about the inappropriate message, Kumari said, “CM is not the Congress party. He is CM. He would have known what the officer has told him. But nobody complained to the party.” She also said that the chief minister and the minister concerned had already given their sides of the story adding that the issue was resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant.
“The chief minister has not informed the Congress party yet. He is abroad. If we are informed and it is proved that there was a case of misdemeanor or inappropriate messaging, we can take action,” Kumari told the media.
Punjab Congress President Sunil Jakhar, who was also part of the protest, took Kumari’s line and said no complaint was made to the party about the case. “The matter has not reached us. But the Congress party holds the dignity and honour of everybody especially women supreme. We will take a call if the complaint comes to us,” he added.
Both Kumari and Jakhar came down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for “pulling down the edifice of democracy at the behest of the RSS.” Kumari said they suspect that behind the CBI fiasco were important documents of the Rafale deal.