Bhopal, September 19: An Independent lawmaker Dinesh Rai in Madhya Pradesh has been caught on camera wiping his hands off the saree of a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Neeta Pateriya during an event recently.

The MLA indulged in the shameless act while attending an event for farmers in the Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh. Rai is an elected member from the Seoni constituency.

After the visuals of Rai's act went viral on social networking sites and local media channels highlighted it, the MLA told the media that he was just playing a prank.

Rai shrugged off the incident, calling it a "little joke" between him and Pateriya, who he called his sister-in-law.

"From where else will I wipe off my hands. She is my bhabhi. For long she was asking me to hold many things. And for fun I told her that I will clean my hand. My palms actually were clean and it was all in jest. I did not touch her," he said.

Initially, the BJP leader had laughed off Rai's act, but after media highlighted the matter, she has registered a complaint with her party and left the final decision on it.