Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 22 : On slapping an auto-rickshaw driver, BJP MLA Parag Shah, on Sunday, said that "it happened in a moment of anger", claiming that the driver was driving recklessly at a breakneck speed, which the female passenger in the rickshaw also complained of.
During a protest against encroachment in Ghatkopar, Parag Shah told ANI that, "An auto-rickshaw was coming from the wrong side. We signalled him to stop. But he wasn't ready to stop, and the speed he was going at was like someone driving a racing car on an expressway. He was stopped by all the workers together. The lady passenger sitting in the rickshaw said that she had been telling him for a long time to drive the rickshaw properly. But this man wasn't ready to listen..."
He added that the rickshaw driver had no remorse for his act. Parag also said that while the man should not have been beaten, the video of him being beaten by several people is morphed, and he was left with a penalty and a word of advice. "Yes, he shouldn't have been beaten. In a moment of anger, I also hit him. Challan, a penalty was imposed against him."
Speaking to ANI, the BJP MLA further emphasised the growing issue of encroachment in the region, which is causing difficulties for people, calling it "a kind of jihad."
"In Ghatkopar, for the last few months, hawkers, scooter riders, and auto-rickshaw drivers have become a nuisance; people can't live there. Senior citizens can't go out on the streets in the evening. Children are afraid to cross the road. So this is a kind of encroachment, which in our language, we call a kind of jihad," Parag Shah said.
Parag also stated that he was briefing the shopkeepers who had encroached onto the road at the time of the incident. He highlighted his committment to the cause of curbing encroachment, saying that "wrong-doers will be taught a lesson, by hook or by crook."
The BJP MLA also urged the common people to abide by the laws and support the government, adding that the protest will continue in Ghatkopar to remove encroachments and provide ease to the locals.
Speaking on developments under the BJP-led state and central governments, Parag said people have witnessed and applauded the work of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He emphasised that people have the power to remove anyone from power if they don't see results, as happened to the opposition.
Addressing the upcoming BMC elections, he claimed the BJP will win, noting that this is evident from the party's work in the state.