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My Father Is Not An Animal Abuser, Says Daughter Of BJP MLA Accused Of Crippling Horse

My Father Is Not An Animal Abuser, Says Daughter Of BJP MLA Accused Of Crippling Horse
HuffPost Staff

On Monday, reports emerged that a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA in Uttarakhand flogged a police horse with a lathi, causing multiple fractures on the animal’s leg during a protest that turned violent.

The MLA, identified as Ganesh Joshi, however, refuted the claims entirely, saying that he was 'being framed by the opposition'. He even released a video showing a horse taking a tumble, when a crowd of people attacks it and the policeman riding it.

His daughter, Neha, too, in a letter titled WARNING: A daughter’s rant claimed that she has never seen her father ill-treat anyone or anything.

WARNING :A daughter’s rant

Yesterday was a tough day for us as a family. Not because my father’s name was being shared...

Posted by Neha Joshi on Monday, 14 March 2016

Sharing the post with a photograph of Ganesh cuddling a puppy, wrote: "...Yes he is holding a stick and beating it in the air. But not once will you see the stick hitting the poor animal. My father is a man who chose to apologise on behalf of the party he represents, for the unfortunate turn of events at the rally. He did not shirk this responsibility. But the kind of man he is and what he represents, he is certainly not ok with being called an animal abuser. I am certainly not ok with him being called an animal abuser (sic)."

MLA Ganesh had shared the following video saying that it was crowd that 'pulled' the horse and that it fell down and 'injured itself'.

घोड़े को लाठी मारने वालो की असली खबर।

This video demonstrates the power of paid media and how gullible we are when it comes to believing things. This also shows how easy it is for the ruling party to manage the media and conveniently shift attention from relevant issues. Police officers rode on horses and chased the demonstrators. Normally this wouldn't be seen except in emergency situations, but then again the Uttarakhand police has proved how vulnerable it is in front of the dictatorial State government led by Shri. Harish Rawat Ji.

Most media channels have been circulating the news that I hit a horse and injured it. Please watch this video to know the truth. I strongly condemn the action of the youth involved in this video for pulling on the horse, making the poor animal lose his balance and fall, thus injuring himself. I apologize on his behalf as this is against my personal and the party's principles. We belong to a party which is led by the likes of Maneka Gandhi and believe in treating animals like family. I urge you to take a moment to watch this video. I will continue to represent and fight for the interests of my constituents, humans and animals alike. These fabricated stories show the levels to which the State government of Uttarakhand will stoop to to grab public's attention.

Posted by Ganesh Joshi on Monday, 14 March 2016

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.