Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Wednesday, June 2, sparked a fresh controversy by using objectionable language against a Twitter user who posed a question about the status of the city civic body's global COVID-19 vaccine supply contract on the social media platform.
A Twitter user retweeted a Marathi news channel’s Tweet regarding the BMC’s global tender on vaccination and asked "Contract Konala dila??" (To whom contract has been given?). Responding to this, the mayor wrote, "Tuzya Bapala" (to your father).
Pednekar, a Shiv Sena leader, later deleted the objectionable tweet, but by that time it had gone viral on social media platforms. Besides, the screenshot of the tweet is now doing rounds on social media platforms.
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Though, the Oppositions quickly latched onto the post and left no stones unturned to take a dig at the language used as the “mayor of a city”.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on its Twitter handle wrote, “The tweet which has now been deleted 'has manifested her party culture.”
National Convener of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) wrote that the words of Kishori Pednekar are an insult to Mumbaikars waiting for vaccination.
Being the first citizen of Mumbai, citizens expect civilised and cultured language (from her) in the public domain, Bhalchandra Shirsat, a BJP corporator, said. Moreover, netizens also came forward condemning the foul language used by the Mayor and demanded an apology.
A three-time corporator from Lower Parel in South Mumbai, Pednekar was elected the 77th mayor of the city in 2019. Pednekar is also one of the spokespersons of the Shiv Sena, which has been ruling the Mumbai civic body, which goes to polls in early 2022, for more than two decades. In addition, Pednekar received praise from citizens for visiting hospitals and care centers without worrying about her life at the time of the coronavirus crisis.
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