Horse attack: Maneka calls for BJP MLA’s expulsion

A day after Uttarakhand BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi was booked for attacking a horse, Union Minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi on Wednesday said she has written to the party demanding his expulsion.

“I have given a statement asking for his expulsion from BJP,” Gandhi, who also runs animal welfare organisation ‘People For Animals’, said.

PETA, too, has written to BJP president Amit Shah and Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal urging them to investigate the matter and disqualify Joshi.

“PETA has urged Uttarakhand police to expedite their investigation and to ensure everyone who was involved in hitting, harassing or causing ‘Shaktiman’ (horse) to fall is punished to the fullest extent of the law.

“We have also written to BJP President Amit Shah and the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha Speaker urging them to investigate the matter, and to disqualify MLA Ganesh Joshi,” a member of the organisation Manilal Valliyate said.

Mussoorie MLA Joshi has been booked for beating the police horse with a stick during the party’s protest on March 14.

The legislator, however insisted that he had not inflicted injury on the horse, and that it had gone out of control during the protests and one of its legs got stuck in a hole dug up to put up barricades, injuring it.