SS-UBT MP's 'maal' jibe: Shiv Sena candidate Shaina NC lodges police complaint (Ld)

Mumbai, Nov 1 (IANS) Shiv Sena-UBT Mumbai South MP Arvind Sawant's reference as 'maal' to fashionista Shaina NC, the Shiv Sena woman candidate for Mumbadevi Assembly seat, snowballed into a political controversy with the police lodging an FIR, here on Friday.

Based on a complaint by Shaina NC, 52, the Nagpada Police Station filed an FIR against Sawant, 72, under various sections of the BNS.

"I am not some 'maal' (goods). I am a daughter of Mumbai and working dedicatedly for the past 20 years. This is a crass comment by Sawant. I am a 'mahila', not a 'maal'. Everyone knows that Maha Vinash Aghadi has no respect for women. The MahaYuti government is doing a lot for our womenfolk like the 'Ladki Bahin' scheme," said an indignant Shaina NC.

She warned that the people of Mumbadevi constituency will give an appropriate reply to Sawant who had won the (2019) Lok Sabha elections using the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party, but has now stooped to making such remarks against women.

During a media interaction in the poll campaign a couple of days ago, Sawant was quizzed about the prospects of Shaina NC vis-a-vis Congress three-term Mumbadevi MLA Amin Patel.

Though a senior BJP leader, owing to seat adjustments, Shaina NC has joined the Shiv Sena and was given the ticket to the prestigious Mumbadevi seat where she is fighting Patel and a strong BJP rebel Atul H. Shah.

"Yahan pe imported 'maal' (goods) nahin chalega. Yahan pe original 'maal' chalta hai, aur wo hai hamare paas, Amin Patel," said Sawant, pointing at a smiling Patel beside him. (We don't need imported stuff, here only the original will work and we have that, Amin Patel).

Referring to the statement labelling her as a 'maal' - which also means 'item' in slang - the comely but unfazed Shaina NC hit back saying that "we (BJP) had campaigned for him (Sawant) and he was elected on our strength".

"Ask him where he was from…? I am a 'laadli" (beloved) daughter of Mumbai, and working for the people of the city. I don't need any certificates from Sawant or the SS (UBT)," said Shaina NC with a smile.

When queried about this further, Sawant claimed that he had very close personal equations with Shaina NC and she may have misunderstood his ('maal') comment.

"It refers to 'goods', but she could have misinterpreted it. I had no such intentions," said Sawant in an apparent clarification, as a huge row erupted, with MahaYuti women leaders supporting Shaina NC.

Mumbadevi (earlier, Umarkhadi), is a minority-heavy assembly constituency which has elected Patel in 2009, and later even in the BJP-waves of 2014 and 2019.

Patel and Shaina NC's rebel BJP contender is Shah, ex-MLA from the erstwhile Khetwadi seat, and could be a potential vote-cutter.

However, hectic talks are currently on to make him withdraw and bolster the prospects of the MahaYuti's Shiv Sena woman nominee hailing from a mixed Gujarati-Dawoodi Bohra Muslim lineage. Her father was the late Sheriff of Mumbai, Nana Chudasama and her mother is a social personality, Munira Chudasama.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Commission for Women took strong cognisance of the issue and asked the police to probe the matter thoroughly.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: qnajmi@gmail.com)

--IANS

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