Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress workers clashed at a rally being addressed by Congress Mumbai North candidate and Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar yesterday morning.
According to witnesses, the incident occurred when Matondkar was addressing a large crowd of people outside Borivali West station when some alleged BJP activists attempted to barge into the venue.
Raising slogans of ‘Modi, Modi’ they engaged in a verbal duel with Congress activists.
As Matondkar attempted to speak, some of the BJP and Congress workers pushed, punched and kicked each other in a free for all.
Police who were present managed to bring the situation under control and later Matondkar went to the local police station to lodge a complaint.
She said in her speech that “women are not safe in the country and today’s incident was a proof of this” but vowed she would not be cowed down by the strong-arm tactics of the BJP.
Matondkar, who has been aggressively campaigning in Mumbai North, has caught public attention with her interactive style, mingling with the common masses, singing with youngsters and playing cricket with youth.
In the constituency, she is pitted against BJP’s sitting MP Gopal Shetty, who had defeated Congress’ Sanjay Nirupam in 2014.
In other election-related news, Congress leader and former federal minister Shakeel Ahmad said he will contest the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate from Bihar’s Madhubani seat.
Ahmad, who was unhappy after his traditional seat of Madhubani went to ally VIP under a seat sharing formula of the Grand Alliance, said he will file his nomination papers today.
“I have demanded the support of the party. If the party high command does not extend support, I will contest as an independent,” Ahmad told reporters.
Ahmad pointed out that a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-supported candidate was contesting against Congress nominee Ranjit Ranjan in Supaul. “If the RJD can support a candidate against an official Congress candidate, then why can’t the Congress do the same in Madhubani?”
Ranjan is the Congress sitting MP from Supaul.
Ahmad said that the Grand Alliance candidate in Madhubani cannot defeat the BJP candidate in Madhubani.