Delhi BJP leader Vijay Jolly Thursday led a protest outside Shoma Chaudhury's home and vandalised the exterior of the building. Chaudhury had resigned as managing editor of Tehelka only hours earlier.

An embarrassed BJP condemned and disowned Jolly's actions, and promised "suitable action".

Jolly, who is convener of the BJP's foreign affairs cell, defaced Chaudhury's nameplate at the gate of her building in Saket, south Delhi, writing "Accused" on it with black paint. He also smeared paint on the sidewalk outside.

"It was a spontaneous act. I was moving around in Saket when I got to know that Shoma lives there. It was mere frustration against the woman who did not pay any heed to her colleague's complaint of sexual assault on her," Jolly said later.

Former BJP president Nitin Gadkari, however, said Jolly had acted "in his personal capacity", and the party would take "appropriate action" against him. Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said: "...I would like to reiterate that the party cannot approve of such an act by any of its leaders. What he has done goes strictly against the party's ideology and tradition, and suitable action will be taken."

Swaraj also punctured Jolly's claim of a "spontaneous" protest, saying Jolly had in fact sought permission to protest outside Chaudhury's home, which had been denied.

Jolly, who has an export business, was MLA from Saket between 2003 and 2008. He lost to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the last assembly elections and, despite intense lobbying, failed to get the Greater Kailash ticket this time. Jolly was also denied a prominent position in the BJP's Delhi state unit; instead he was made a member of the party's Delhi executive along with around a hundred others.

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