He went on to cite Indian leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had ‘lived with their desires beyond social boundaries’.

Sandeep Kumar, sacked as a minister after an “objectionable” CD emerged showing him in a compromising position with a woman, did no wrong and action was taken against him solely for ‘perception management’, party leader Ashutosh suggested on Thursday. “The party took no time to remove him from the Cabinet. A political party which is in the business of perception management, which vouched for the character of its leaders while admitting them as members, had no other option than this,” Ashutosh wrote.

That was the only only justification offered by Ashutosh on the action against Kumar in the piece where he otherwise questioned the hullabaloo over the issue. He went on to cite Indian leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had ‘lived with their desires beyond social boundaries’. Stating that the row over Kumar’s “objectionable” video exposes the “hypocrisy of the society and hollowness of the media”, Ashutosh wondered why the seemingly obvious “consensual act” should create ripples in the media and politics.

“The video clearly establishes that both individuals knew each other and consented to sex in a private space away from the public glare. The question then is that if two consenting adults are physically involved with each other, is it a crime? “The woman seen in the video is not coerced by any stretch of imagination. She has not even complained after the act to anyone. She has not gone public complaining of any wrongdoing…It’s not rape. It’s a case of two adults with their consent indulging in sex. What wrong has the man done?” Ashutosh asked.