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‘Stay in your aukaat’: Gujarat BJP MLA Jadeja spars with MP, mayor on video
Poonamben Maadam said she intervened in the heated argument between MLA Rivaba Jadeja and the mayor after Rivaba said the mayor should stay within her aukaat (stay within her limits)
AHMEDABAD: Rivaba Jadeja, a first-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Jamnagar (north) constituency found herself at the centre of controversy after she was seen engaged in a heated altercation with two BJP colleagues during a public event on Thursday.
The public confrontation, which took place in Jamnagar on Wednesday, has been circulated widely on social media.
In the video, Rivaba Jadeja, who is also the spouse of Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, is seen directing her ire towards Member of Parliament Poonamben Maadam and Jamnagar’s municipal mayor, Bina Kothari. The mayor is heard advising Jadeja to be mindful of her language and refrain from making remarks about her ‘aukaat’ (status).
“During the function, Poonam Madam paid tributes while wearing her footwear. Then, when it was my turn, I decided to pay extra respect to the shaheeds where I removed my footwear. So, I garlanded the shaheeds and paid my respects. Following my lead, other corporators and party members also removed their footwear and paid their tributes,” Rivaba Jadeja said.
The trigger, Jadeja later told reporters, was a comment by MP Poonam Maadam that she felt was aimed at insulting her. “The MP said loudly, in a way that the Press and all other party members and others present around could hear, that the President and Prime Minister don’t remove their footwear, but some people with no understanding try to act over smart and remove their footwear.”
“I found her comment disrespectful, particularly when we were paying homage to those who sacrificed their lives for our nation. I confronted her and highlighted that her statement was inappropriate… She responded saying that her remarks were not aimed at me. I suggested that she should mention the intended person when delivering such comments. The entire issue revolved around the interaction between me and the MP, and didn’t involve Binaben,” Jadeja said.
Asked about the incident, MP Maadam told HT that she was really having a conversation with the mayor and Jadeja assumed that her comment was directed at her.
“In fact, when Rivaba and the mayor were having a heated argument and I tried to intervene and stop them. When Rivaba suggested that the mayor should stay within her aukaat, I reminded her that Binaben is a senior person and it was inappropriate to address her in such a manner. Rivaba’s emotional outburst is shocking – it appears there might be a misunderstanding, or perhaps she was having a bad day or was in a bad mood,” Maadam said.
Mayor Bina Kothari declined to comment. “It was an internal matter of the BJP and I do not want to make any comment about it,” she said.
