Man caught for breaking traffic rules claims he is the chief minister's brother-in-law
A man arguing with the traffic police after being pulled over in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal on Thursday is seen on camera yelling: "I am the Chief Minister's brother-in-law". The man had been stopped and fined for driving a car with a siren, which is allowed only for top ministers or officers.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's response was tongue-in-cheek. "I have crores of sisters in Madhya Pradesh and so I have many brothers-in-law," he quipped, but added that "the law will take its course."
The man was caught in a drive ordered by the Election Commission to check on vehicles illegally using sirens in Madhya Pradesh, where polls are due in November.
In a video, he and his wife are seen arguing heatedly with the policemen. "Mera saala hai mukhya mantri...tum kya samajte ho apne aap ko...(The chief minister is my brother-in-law...what do you think of yourself)," the man shouted at the police who had asked him to move his car from near the state assembly. Two women in the car with him took out their phones and dialed a number, claiming it was the chief minister's, and challenged the police.
At the time, the Chief Minister would have been busy with a BJP programme for the women's cell called the Kamal Shakti, aimed at talking to households about schemes of the Madhya Pradesh government.
The three who claimed to be relatives of Mr Chouhan are yet to be identified but the SUV was registered in the name of one Rajendra Singh Chouhan.
In the past one week, the police have caught 128 vehicles with hooters and a fine of Rs 12, 000 has been collected. Around 200 policemen have been posted at 20 check points to catch drivers breaking rules. The fine for using a hooter illegally is Rs 3,000.