On International Women's Day on Monday, a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) woman member in Vizianagaram purportedly faced public humiliation at the hands of her party veteran and former Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju.
In the video, Gajapati Raju, wearing a facemask, is seen walking away from a group of people. A few seconds later, Raju can be seen walking back and slapping a lady, while other party workers are trying to placate him.
The incident, caught on video which has since made its way to social media, occurred while Gajapati Raju was campaigning for the municipal elections that are scheduled for March 10.
Eyewitnesses said the incident took place in Phool Bagh area of Vizianagaram which lies 60km to the north of the port city of Visakhapatnam.
No comment was forthcoming from the scion of the erstwhile royal family of Vizianagaram but local TDP functionaries brushed away the incident as a minor one, and that the former minister had merely pushed away the plate of flower petals.
The coincidence is that this incident happened on the International Women's Day.