Jawed Habib row: BJP MLA tells people to 'spit on those who insult you'; Congress balks

In a shocking remark, Bhopal BJP MLA Ramesheshwar Sharma urged residents to boycott celebrity hairstylist Jawed Habib's salons. In a video accessed by Republic TV on Saturday, Sharma urges citizens to spit at those who spat at them. Hairstylist Jawed Habib ran into trouble after he allegedly spat on a woman's hair claiming it was 'too dry' in a training session in UP's Muzzafarnagar.

BJP MLA: Hindus, you spit on those who insult you

"What is happening? He is spitting on women who are coming for a haircut? The one whose culture promotes spitting, Oh Hindus, stand up and spit on those who insult you. Remember, we must break such a conspiracy. Do not even step into such shops which spit in your hair," said Sharma. Incidentally, Habib had joined the BJP in 2019 ahead of the Lok Sabha polls under BJP's celebrity outreach program - 'Sampark se Samarthan'.

Shocked at the communal twist, Congress leader Narendra Saluja slammed the abusive language used by Sharma. Reminding Sharma that he was the protem speaker of MP, he asked, 'When are you spitting on BJP leader Jawed Habib?'. Many other Congress leaders have condemned Habib, pointing out his BJP connect.

Outraged by the video of the hair-spitting incident, Hindu Sena targeted Jawed Habib's franchise in Gwalior and ransacked it. The organization members warned that if any salon is found open in the stylist's name, they would forcefully close it down. Besides this, the Karni Sena also held a demonstration in front of outlets bearing the name of the celebrity hairstylist in Indore.

What did Jawed Habib do?

On Thursday, a video on Twitter went viral, where Habib could be seen spitting on a woman's head while styling it, claiming that the woman's hair was too dry. The incident is said to be of a training seminar that took place in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar. After facing backlash, the hairstylist has apologized for the act, saying he was trying to make the session 'hilarious'. 

The hair is dirty. Why are they dirty? Because shampoo has not been used," says Habib in the video. "Listen carefully... If there is less water..." Habib spits on the woman's head while parting her hair and goes, "this spit has life". The victim - Pooja Gupta filed a complaint against Habib at the Muzaffarnagar Police station. Moreover, National Commission for Women (NCW) chairman Rekha Sharma too summoned Habib on January 11 over the incident.

After facing backlash, Habib issued an apology saying,"Sorry...I mean it". He stated in the video, "Some sessions are too long, and we need to do such things to make sessions hilarious. Still, if somebody is hurt, please accept my apologies".