BJP MLA loses cool, abuses female anchor

Rajkot: The ruling BJP’s elected representatives seems to have no control over their temper, especially against women. Earlier this month it was BJP’s Naroda MLA Balram Thavani who kicked a woman for demanding water and on Thursday it was party’s Rajkot East legislator Arvind Raiyani who allegedly misbehaved with a female anchor during an event for spelling his name incorrectly.
The incident took place Thursday evening during the inter-corporation cricket tournament in city between Rajkot and Ahmedebad civic bodies.
According to witnesses, the Ahmedabad-based anchor while announcing the names of guests announced the name of Raiyani in correctly as ‘Arvind Patel’. Hearing this Raiyani lost his cool and came on to the ground, even as some of his supporters tried to clam him. Raiyani has earlier been arrested in an assault case.
BJP corporator of Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) Paresh Pipalia went inside the commentators box to see how this happened.
Talking to TOI the anchor, alleged “After Raiyani got angry, Pipalia came to ask me how I could use ‘Patel’ instead of ‘Raiyani’. Pipalia also used abusive language with me.”
She added “It was not my mistake. I read the names from the list that I was given. They should inquired with the person who had prepared the list.”
Sources at the ground said that some people had made videos of the incident on their mobile phones, but were later made to delete those by BJP workers.
When contacted Raiyani denied the allegations and said “We did not misbehave with woman anchor. Paresh (Pipalia) also didn’t do anything. My political rivals are spreading such false news.”
He, however said, “The anchor announced my name incorrectly. She was given correct name, despite that she announced the name incorrectly four times.” Meanwhile, Pipalia could not be contacted for comments.