Mumbai, Apr 22 (PTI) A day after a woman publicly berated Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan for the traffic jam caused by a BJP rally over the women’s reservation bill in south Mumbai, he conceded on Wednesday
that her anger was justified but objected to her language, while Mayor Ritu Tawde expressed regret over the inconvenience caused to her and other commuters.
As the video of the woman's outburst went viral, opposition parties targeted the ruling BJP, with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi lauding the woman for 'showing mirror' to the minister whose attitude she termed as "disrespectful and dismissive".
The incident occurred in the upscale Worli area on Tuesday when Mahajan was speaking to reporters at a rally organised by the saffron party to target opposition parties over the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill for fast-tracking the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
An agitated woman confronted the BJP minister, shouting at him for blocking roads and causing inconvenience to commuters.
"Get out of here. You are causing a traffic jam," she said, asking why the rally could not be held at the nearby open ground.
After Mahajan tried to pacify her, she returned and continued her tirade, saying, "Did you not understand? What is wrong with you? There are hundreds of people waiting."
When a police official intervened, she snapped at him, refusing to engage and demanding that no one speak to her.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal shared the video on X, and accused the BJP of misleading women for political gains.
Mahajan on Wednesday admitted that some commuters did face inconvenience, and added that he had apologised to the woman on the spot and also asked the police not to take any harsh action against her.
“It is true that there was traffic congestion as thousands of women participated in the march. But the woman who came there was very angry and spoke in a language that was not appropriate. Even when we told her the road would be cleared in 10-15 minutes, she was not ready to listen and, in anger, even threw a bottle,” the BJP leader claimed.
The protest, held after obtaining necessary permissions, saw participation of around 15,000 to 20,000 women which made some congestion unavoidable, he said, denying a fault in police's planning or allegations of "VIP culture".
“I understand that she was in a hurry to pick up her child, and her anger is justified to some extent. But the way she reacted, using such language and throwing a bottle, was wrong. However, I do not think any legal action should be taken against her,” he said.
Mayor Ritu Tawde, who belongs to the BJP, said in a post on X that the 'Mahila Janakrosh Morcha' had been organised after obtaining all necessary permissions. Its objective was to oppose attempts to dilute women's political rights, she said.
"Proper planning was also done by the police and the transport department to avoid inconvenience to citizens and traffic. Still, as a first citizen of Mumbai, I apologize for the inconvenience caused to some citizens," Tawde stated.
The mayor also said that thousands of women from across the state participated in the protest despite the summer heat, and it was an outpouring of anger over issues concerning women's rights and representation.
"Therefore, we hope that the woman who faced inconvenience, as well as other citizens, will understand the anger of those who participated in the protest march," Tawde said.
The mayor also highlighted infrastructure projects undertaken by the BJP-led government in south Mumbai, including the coastal road project, railway flyovers and cement concretisation of roads, claiming these works have eased traffic.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, on the other hand, accused the BJP of being insensitive to the travel woes of Mumbaikars.
"In Mumbai daily commute includes hours of being stuck in traffic jams and instead of understanding the fast losing patience at these gatherings/VIP movements that hold up traffic, the ruling dispensation doesn’t seem to care, even the minister’s attitude is so disrespectful and dismissive," said the former Rajya Sabha member in a post on X.
"Hats off to the lady from Mumbai who showed a mirror to Minister Girish Mahajan and BJP protestors for blocking traffic to carry out their political protest," Chaturvedi added.
"Why was BJP protesting on the streets instead of a designated ground? Who gave them permission to carry out the protest during peak traffic hours? Why should people suffer due to the political showmanship of the BJP? she asked.
The woman gave vent to the anger of every Mumbaikar who faces commute woes daily, Chaturvedi said.
Earlier on Tuesday evening, Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad had said that the woman's berating of BJP minister was an example of "real women's power".
"This lady didn't hold back! The common public now knows BJP's eventbaazi! A lady on her way to pick up a child had to wait for hours as BJP blocked the road in the name of women's reservation....a common Mumbai woman told BJP ministers and workers to leave and showed them the reality. That is the true 'women's power'. Stop troubling Mumbai for publicity," said the Mumbai North-Central MP. PTI ND KK MR PR NSK GK KRK
