Caught on camera grabbing woman MLC’s hand, K'taka Cong leader resigns from post

Congress leader TP Ramesh, who was caught on tape holding the hand of a visibly uncomfortable woman during an Independence Day event, tendered his resignation from all official positions to CM Siddaramaiah.

Deccan Herald reports that the former president of Madikeri’s Congress unit resigned from the post of Chairman of the Karnataka Silk Marketing Board, and from primary membership of the Congress party. The report said that the resignation came on the insistence from District Minister MR Seetharam.

Speaking on the issue on Monday, Seetharam had said, "I was present on the dais and this sort of  behavior is not acceptable. However close they may be, such behavior is not acceptable on a public platform. He should have resigned as KSSIDC chairman,”

"One could understand if it was an accident.  But one could see that he was upto some mischief. There will be action by the party after a preliminary inquiry and he will be suspended," the Minister had added.

Ramesh had faced much outrage after the video of the incident surfaced, with the BJP Mahila Morcha (Women’s Wing) staging protests over the issue.

In his defence, Ramesh has said that he was only enquiring about the leader’s health. "I have been in public life for 40 years, and the act of enquiring the health of a person (MLC Veena Achaiah) whom I treat as a sister, is construed as wrong by the party. It would be suffocating for seniors like me to continue further in the organisation," Ramesh wrote in his defence to KPCC Working President Dinesh Gundu Rao.

In the video that went viral, Ramesh is seen smiling and holding the hand of the MLC, who looks uncomfortable and pushes his hand away.

Speaking to TNM, MLC Veena had said that she was shocked and saddened that a fellow Congress leader misbehaved with her openly.

“We were discussing about a health camp organised at Dharmasthala a few days ago. He then took my hand and said that I had lost weight. I felt uncomfortable and immediately pushed his hand away. Then I think he noticed I was uncomfortable and both of us did not say anything to each other during the programme,” MLC Veena had said.

Watch the video here: