BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra ended up wading through knee-deep water after heavy rains submerged Mumbai's streets. And now he has become a laughing stock on social media.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra was in Mumbai to attend party meetings. But what he got instead was roads inundated with water. Sambit ended up wading through knee-deep water after heavy rains submerged Mumbai's streets. And now he has become a laughing stock on social media.
A photograph of Patra, holding his shoes to save them from rain waters, got circulated and shared multiple times on Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook among various platforms. In the photo, he was seen along with Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye, both holding umbrellas.
Maharashtra minister says there is no water logging.
Sambit Patra comes up with proof against it. pic.twitter.com/iiL163j7f2
Sambit Patra is finding Vikas who has drowned in water😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/zsJjKjpy4U
There’s no situation of water logging in Mumbai: Vinod Tawde, Maharashtra Minister.
Here, in an attempt to follow the path of Lord Ram, Sambit Patra is crossing Palk Straight on foot to visit Sri Lanka pic.twitter.com/I0hlWPU3aT
Maharashtra government has come under severe criticism for their mismanagement of Mumbai's civic woes. Shiv Sena, BJP's ally in Bombay Municipal Corporation, too has not let any opportunity go to take a dig at the party.
Patra had reached the city BJP unit office in Dadar for scheduled meetings, which were to be followed up by a press conference at 2.30 pm, a party functionary said.
"There was a media-related party meeting, which he attended. The photograph was snapped at around 1 pm in Dadar area, before the scheduled media briefing, which was called off due to rains," a party source said.
"Held a meeting of the Media Department organised by @BJP4Maharashtra in Mumbai today!" Patra tweeted after the meeting.
Hours later, Patra was seen participating in the evening news debates on various TV channels.
Interestingly, while the state BJP unit cancelled Patra's media briefing citing rains as the cause, state education minister Vinod Tawde seemed to downplay Mumbaikars' misery due to the incessant rains.
The minister said there was no need to "create panic" over the rains. "Schools do not need to close today as the situation in Mumbai is not as bad as it was yesterday," he said.
Normal life in Mumbai continues to be affected due to heavy rains lashing the city. For the last couple of days, the downpour has caused traffic snarls, with people being seen walking through knee-deep waters.
Many local trains, the lifeline of Mumbai commuters, were either cancelled or running late.
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