Bharatiya Janta Party MLA from Jamnagar-North Rivaba Jadeja found herself at the centre of controversy after she engaged in a heated altercation with two party colleagues during a public event on 17 August. The Jamnagar Municipal Corporation held a “Meri Mitti, Mera Desh” programme in memory of the martyrs and party leaders like her, Jamnagar MP Poonam Maadam and Jamnagar’s municipal mayor Bina Kothari attended.
जामनगर से बीजेपी विधयक #RivabaJadeja ने खोया आपा, जामनगर की सांसद @PoonambenMaadam और मेयर पर पब्लिकली भड़क पड़ीं … वीडियो हुए वायरल
— Nirnay Kapoor (@nirnaykapoor) August 17, 2023
कहा ये जा रहा है की #MeriMaatiMeraDesh कार्यक्रम के दौरान रीवाबा और जामनगर की मेयर के बीच कुछ कहा सुनी हुई .. इस दौरान पूनम माडम ने समझाने की… pic.twitter.com/UDSqG2C9QA
Her ire was directed towards the latter two. The first time lawmaker was heard accusing “You showed your seniority in the election” and “You are the one who lit the fire, so don’t try to put it down now.” However, the MP was calm and tried to settle the matter.
The mayor advised her to be mindful of her language and refrain from such opines about her status. She stated, “You’re talking to the mayor,” which irked her further and she retaliated with statements like “Keep your voice down.”
When the Lok Sabha member attempted to intervene and asked the latter to maintain respect as she was older than the former, Rivaba Jadeja charged her “You are the one who started the fire, so stop trying to put it down.”
She later shed light on the whole matter and mentioned, “There was a program of the corporation. We laid floral wreaths as part of our tribute to the martyrs. Poonam Maadam paid respect during the function while wearing her footwear.”
શું હતું Jamnagar માં મહિલા નેતાઓના ઝગડાવાનું કારણ ?#GSTV #GSTVNEWS #GujaratiNews #gujaratsamachar #trending #trendingnow #jamnagar #poonambenmaadam #jamnagarnews #womenleader #Rivabajadeja #MLA pic.twitter.com/LVj0FZarqe
— GSTV (@GSTV_NEWS) August 17, 2023
She further continued, “Then, it was my turn and I decided to express greater reverence to the martyrs and removed my sandals. So, I garlanded them and paid my homage. Other corporators and party members also followed my lead and removed their shows before offering tribute.”
However, she got upset after the Parliamentarian voiced criticism. She revealed, “The MP said loudly, in a way that the press and all other party members and others present around could hear, that the President and Prime Minister don’t remove their footwear, but some people with no understanding try to act over smart and remove their footwear.”
She asserted, “I found her utterances disrespectful, particularly when we were paying homage to those who sacrificed their lives for our nation. I confronted her and highlighted that her statement was inappropriate. She responded by saying that her remarks were not aimed at me. I suggested that she should mention the intended person when delivering such comments.”
She added, “The entire issue revolved around the interaction between me and the MP and didn’t involve Binaben. Then as the mayor intervened and spoke in a rough manner, I had to react to her also. Binaben’s tone of speaking with others is well known among the people of Jamnagar.”
When questioned about the occurrence, the member of parliament claimed that she was actually speaking with the mayor and that the MLA believed that her observation was meant for her. She alleged, “In fact, when Rivaba and the mayor were having a heated argument and I tried to intervene and stop them. When Rivaba suggested that the mayor should stay within her limits, I reminded her that Binaben is a senior person and it was inappropriate to address her in such a manner. Rivaba’s emotional outburst is shocking and it appears there might be a misunderstanding or perhaps she was having a bad day or was in a bad mood.”
She proclaimed, “There was definitely some misunderstanding and its reaction was visible in the viral video. And as I said, the party is like a family, everyone in it is the strength of each other.”
#WATCH | BJP MP Poonamben Maadam speaks on her verbal spat with Jamnagar North MLA Rivaba Jadeja during an event in Jamnagar, says, "There was definitely some misunderstanding and its reaction was visible in the viral video. And as I said, the party is like a family, everyone in… https://t.co/3rdY36J1Lw pic.twitter.com/k7rrtoUN6Y
— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2023
On the other hand, the mayor refused to respond on the matter. She observed, “It was an internal matter of the BJP and I do not want to make any comment about it.” At a news conference in Surat, state party president CR Patil was asked about the instance and he answered that he will look into it.
The wife of cricketer Ravindra Singh Jadeja, Rivaba Jadeja joined BJP in 2019 and was fielded in the election by the party in December 2022.
