An Uttarakhand BJP legislator, Mahesh Negi, has been reeling under a controversy as a woman has accused him of allegedly having sexually exploited her.

The controversy has taken political colour with the Opposition Congress demanding an inquiry into the woman’s allegations against the ruling BJP MLA.

Dwarahat MLA Mahesh Negi terms the allegations a “political conspiracy” against him. But, the woman’s demand for a DNA test of her daughter and Negi makes the controversy more strident for the BJP MLA who continues to maintain silence on the DNA test matter.

The issue came to light recently after the wife of the accused BJP MLA filed a police complaint in Dehradun, charging a woman of allegedly blackmailing her husband and asking a ransom of Rs five crore.

The “victim” woman was subsequently taken to the Nehru Colony police station in Dehradun recently, and she claims that the cops applied pressure on her to settle the issue. The victim posted a video on social media accusing the police of allegedly working under the influence of power. Demanding a DNA test of her daughter and the BJP leader, the victim states, “I and my daughter face threat to our lives.”

Uttarakhand Congress president Pritam Singh said, “Impartial inquiry should be conducted. The video of the woman, who is making allegations against the leader, should be examined. Why is the MLA scared of conducting a DNA test?”

The Uttarakhand BJP is maintaining a silence on the entire controversy. A former junior national athlete, Mahesh Negi even served in the sports department before adopting politics as his career.

Fearing threat to her life, the victim woman also approached the Uttarakhand Women Commission after she failed to get her FIR registered with the police. The state women commission head Vijaya Barthwal has communicated with the SSP Almora, seeking a probe into the matter and a report by 29 August.

The Uttarakhand BJP faced a similar controversy two years back when state party general secretary Sanjay Kumar was accused of allegedly sexually harassing a woman. When the row snowballed, the BJP removed the accused office-bearer from his post.