Delhi PWD minister Parvesh Verma, who was dubbed a 'giant slayer' after defeating AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal in the 2025 Delhi assembly elections, has once again found himself mired in a controversy, this time it's a 'slapgate'. The son of former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma has courted controversies in the past too, including during the anti-CAA protests.
On Sunday, Verma slapped a man during a road inspection in Tilak Nagar, following which a video of the incident went viral on social media. The man who was slapped, Sahib Singh, has filed a police complaint. While AAP leaders have been demanding an FIR to be filed against the minister, Delhi police filed a non-cognisable report for voluntarily causing hurt under BNS Section 115. This means police can conduct a probe only on the basis of a magistrate's order and cannot arrest the minister without a warrant.
However, the PWD has filed a police complaint against AAP MLA Jarnail Singh, accusing him of stopping officials from performing their duties. An FIR has been registered against him. The man who was slapped by Parvesh was accompanying the AAP MLA.
Often portrayed as BJP's Jat face in Delhi, Verma caught national attention after winning the West Delhi Lok Sabha seat. He was touted among the frontrunners for the post of Delhi CM after defeating Kejriwal. However, his acrid remarks are speculated to have cost him the CM post as the BJP decided to go with Rekha Gupta, who came with a clean image and as a more mature face of the saffron party. Gupta was also projected as the woman face of the BJP after the election results came in order to tilt the balances against AAP's Atishi.
'Terrorist' remark
While campaigning for the 2020 Delhi assembly elections, the Elections Commission banned Verma for 24 hours after he called Kejriwal a "terrorist".
'Clearing Shaheen Bagh' comment
Another controversy sparked by Verma during the 2020 elections was his infamous remark that he would clear Shaheen Bagh within an hour after BJP comes to power. Shaheen Bagh was a key protest site before during the anti-CAA protests. Back then, he alleged that Muslim protesters were a threat to Hindu families. "They will enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters,” Verma was quoted as saying, according to reports.
'Total boycott' call
In 2022, Verma allegedly called for "total boycott" in remarks appearing to be aimed at the Muslim community during a public event at Dilshad Garden in northeast Delhi. Addressing his supporters, he urged them not to buy anything from the shops of the community. However, Verma later said he "did not name any religious community".
