“Those who abuse Modi…” Former BJP MP Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria Refuses Blankets to Muslim Women at Rajasthan Event

Senior Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) leader and former Member of Parliament Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria is caught in a row after viral video showed him allegedly refusing blankets to Muslim women during an event in Rajasthan. The video which is widely circulated on social media has prompted sharp criticism from opposition leaders and triggered a debate online.

The footage appears to show Jaunapuria interacting with women seated at a blanket distribution programme. In the clip, he is heard asking some of them their names and, upon hearing Muslim names, instructing aides to remove them from the crowd. He is also heard saying that those who “abuse Prime Minister Modi” have no right to receive blankets and that he does not mind if anyone feels offended by his decision. “I don’t care as how you feel…” he could be heard saying in the video. In the roughly 2 minute long video, at least three Muslim women could be seen getting isolated - one of them who had already received a blanket, could be seen returning it under insistence from Janapuria’s aides.

Harish Chandra Meena, currently the Congress MP from Tonk Sawai Madhopur, also shared the video and strongly condemned Singh's conduct. He lamented that this divisive attitude reflected a thought that would destroy the nation's social fabric. "Distributing blankets after asking names of poor, helpless women and taking them back depending on their religion is shameful and inhuman," he said in a post on X.

Interestingly the women who had attended the event expecting blankets, all belonged to impoverished backgrounds and yet were subjected to discrimination. Eyewitnesses present at the event can be heard protesting in the video, telling the former MP that they had been waiting for hours. The situation seems tense for a brief period as some attendees question his conduct. Jaunapuria responds that he does not wish to argue and later states that the distribution drive was organised in his personal capacity, asserting that he has the right to choose beneficiaries.

Opposition figures have condemned the alleged incident, calling it discriminatory and divisive. Critics argue that charitable activities, especially those conducted in public settings, should not involve questions about identity or religion.
The BJP leader, who has also been a MP from 2014 till 2024, has not issued a detailed public statement beyond his remark that the event was private and not part of any government initiative. Supporters have defended him online, while detractors say the video raises serious concerns about communal bias in public outreach efforts, specially coming from a party that vows “sabka sath, sabka vikash…(everyone’s trust, everyone’s property)”.​​