‘Tere baap ko,’ Mumbai Mayor responds to Twitter user who asked which company got vaccine contract

Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar, notorious for making controversial remarks, found herself in a soup on Wednesday after an objectionable tweet of her went viral on the microblogging platform Twitter. While responding to a netizen’s question “Contract konala dila??” (to whom contract has been given), about the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) global tender for vaccines, the Mayor crassly retorted in Marathi saying, “Tuzya Bapala (to your father)”.

After being called out by the netizens for her inappropriate remarks to a perfectly legitimate question, Pednekar deleted the tweet. However, the damage had already been done as the screenshots of the tweet started traversing the realms of social media platforms.

The @mybmc mayor @KishoriPednekar ladies and gentlemen, abusing a common citizen only because he asked her a polite question! This is true @ShivsenaComms culture! This lady is the first citizen of Mumbai! Well done @OfficeofUT pic.twitter.com/xMTb7FpgXI

— Shefali Vaidya. 🇮🇳 (@ShefVaidya) June 3, 2021

Seeing the controversy blowing out, the Mayor took to the media and conveniently dropped the blame game on one of her party workers. “There are a number of objectionable tweets out there. A Shiv Sainik sent out that particular tweet from my phone. He may have done it out of anger,” Pednekar told the reporters.

“I usually check my phone when it comes back in my hands, and I noticed the said tweet,” she added. “I realised that it was a big mistake and that this should not have been done. However badly others might behave with us, we should not behave the same way with them.”

Remarking that she had learnt a lesson, the Mumbai Mayor added, “I have learnt a lesson from this that the mobile phone should not be handed over even to a person even if he/she is close to you,”

BJP didn’t let the opportunity slide by idly and targeted Pednekar by observing that she was merely manifesting the culture of her party, Shiv Sena, by using such objectionable language.

“Kishori Pednekar, the mayor who answered Tujhya baapala (to your father) to a Mumbaikar who asked her about who the contract for vaccines was given to, has given a display of her party’s culture,” the party said.

लशींचे कॉण्ट्रॅक्ट कुणाला दिलं, असा प्रश्न विचारणाऱ्या मुंबईकराला 'तुझ्या बापाला' असं उत्तर देणाऱ्या महापौर @KishoriPednekar यांनी आपल्या पक्षसंस्कृतीचं दर्शन घडवलंय. ते ट्वीट महापौरांनी डीलीट केलं असलं तरी मुंबईच्या प्रथम नागरिकाची ती असभ्य अक्षरं कायमची कोरली गेलीच.#जनाबसेना pic.twitter.com/LwdRWJUwyT

— BJP Mumbai (@BJP4Mumbai) June 2, 2021

This is not the first time that Pednekar has invited criticism from netizens for her foul mouthing tendencies. In April this year, she invited controversy by claiming that Kumbh Mela returnees will distribute Coronavirus as the ‘prasad’.

“Those returning from Kumbh Mela to their respective states will distribute Corona as ‘prasad’. All these people should be quarantined in their respective states at their own cost. In Mumbai also, we’re thinking of putting them under quarantine on their return,” Pednekar had said.

#WATCH | "Those returning from Kumbh Mela to their respective states will distribute Corona as 'prasad'," says Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar pic.twitter.com/P9UBVBv1mN

— ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2021

Even last year, when Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut had tweeted that Mumbai was her Karmbhoomi, the ill-mannered Mumbai Mayor allegedly replied saying, “You are the gift of Kans Mama.”

It was under Pednekar’s supervision that BMC reportedly floated the failed tender to invite vaccine manufacturing companies to supply the vaccine jabs to the state. However, with no advance payment, and an impractical order of one crore vaccine jabs to be delivered within three weeks after placing the order – the manufacturers turned their back.

Moreover, Pednekar arrogantly announced that companies will be fined for the delay in the supply of the vaccine. Naturally, no company placed any bid for the tender and it spectacularly bombed. And when the netizen asked for an update, Pednekar and her disappointment knew no bounds and translated into an objectionable tweet.