MUMBAI:
Ghatkopar MLA
Ram Kadam landed in hot water with opponents calling him 'Ravan' and asking for his arrest after a video clip went viral purportedly showing him saying that he would help a youth rejected by a girl abduct her.
On Monday, he had organized a
dahi handi event, covered by the vernacular media, in Ghatkopar. In the clip, he is speaking to the crowd from the dais, and is heard saying that if a girl rejected a boy's proposal, he would 100% help him abduct the girl, if his parents agreed to the marriage.
On Tuesday, Kadam claimed his rivals had doctored the clip. "The clip was edited to malign my political image by those jealous of my success. The comment in the clip was not my opinion, but a comment heard from the crowd which I had repeated. I give my view later, which was edited out in the viral clip," Kadam told TOI. "No boy or girl should go against their father-mother's consent to marry; this was my next comment which was not shown in the clip," he added.
Earlier, state NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said: “His name should be Ravan (villain) and not Ram.” Opposition leader in the assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil of Congress demanded Kadam’s arrest and said his remarks were “condemnable”.
Vijaya Rahatkar, a BJP leader and chief of the state women’s commission, said: “Not only BJP, every people’s representative should take care while commenting about a woman. Woman should not be hurt by any comment.”
Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray said on Twitter: “Ashamed and disgraced he sits in the legislative assembly… Not just an outright apology, I’d want to know from the Home Minister of Maharashtra what action will be taken for openly making such statements that threaten the safety of girls and offering safety to those wanting to kidnap them.”
