Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi says Shiv Sena and the BJP are hell-bent on polarising the society
Team Clarion
MUMBAI – A traffic policeman has filed a complaint against the Bharatiya Janat Party (BJP) leader Akshata Tendulkar for making derogatory remarks about his religion in Mumbai’s Dadar area.
A video of Tendulkar engaged in a heated exchange with police official Zoheb Shakeel Sayyed has gone viral since the incident on Sunday. Tendulkar has also filed a complaint against Sayyed at the Shivaji Park police station.
According to Sayyed, former corporator Tendulkar approached him while he was on duty and demanded action against alleged illegal parking. When he stopped two individuals from illegally parking vehicles, Tendulkar reportedly lost her temper.
She started shouting that the individuals were from Bangladesh and Pakistan, and claimed they were involved in violence in Bangladesh, suggesting they should be sent back, the complainant stated.
The confrontation was recorded by Sayyed and the video, which has since gone viral, shows Tendulkar throwing vegetables from a vendor’s cart onto the road and threatening to bring people in vehicles who might vandalise them.
“We have received complaints from both sides and an investigation is on,” a police official said.
The behaviour of Tendulkar has drawn flak for her aggressive conduct and language. Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi Rais Shaikh expressed dismay at Tendulkar’s communal rhetoric during the drive to remove hawkers.
“I am deeply disturbed by the actions of former BJP Corporator Akshata Tendulkar, who, while removing hawkers near Dadar Plaza, swiftly turned the issue into a Hindu-Muslim divide. This kind of rhetoric is dangerous and only serves to create division among our people. I urge the government to take strict action against such individuals who exploit religious sentiments for political gain, especially with elections approaching,” posted Shaikh on X.
He said that as the assembly election approaches, Shiv Sena and the BJP are hell-bent on polarising the society. He asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Dadar police official to take action against Tendulkar and arrest her.
Earlier, Tendulkar had courted controversy when she disrupted the prayer of some Christians. On July 3, Tendulkar stormed into a Christian prayer meeting and abused the participants over allegations of conversion in Mumbai’s Prabhadevi.
