Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Rajeev Rai, who is a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Lok Sabha, was recently in Bengaluru and lashed out at the city's never-ending traffic problem. In a post on the social media platform X, Rai on Sunday tagged Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and said that the state government has the worst traffic management and the most irresponsible, useless traffic police.
The state's ruling Congress, currently caught in a leadership tussle between Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, has faced criticism over the traffic mess before, but this time, it has come from an ally in the opposition coalition - the Samajwadi Party.
"Will Miss Flight To Attend Parliament"
Rai, the SP's Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh's Ghosi constituency, said on Sunday that for the last hour, he was stuck on Bengaluru's Rajkumar Samadhi Road and would miss his flight to Delhi.
"They (traffic police) don't even pick up phone calls," Rai said and shared two screenshots of his attempt to speak to the cops. "None of them picked up my call," he added.
"Tomorrow, I have to attend the Parliament session. Not a single policeman is seen around," Rai further said.
"These inefficient officers are enough to spoil the name and charm of this beautiful city. No doubt now Bengaluru traffic has earned the reputation of most notorious traffic," the SP leader added.
READ: "Space Was Easier": Shubhanshu Shukla's Jibe At Bengaluru Traffic
A day later, Rai told NDTV that after he put out the post on X, authorities in Bengaluru contacted him. "They (authorities) mentioned the reason for the traffic jam. They give an assurance... try putting out such a social media post in a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state, and an FIR (First Information Report) will be filed against you," Rai added.
On being asked about Bengaluru BJP MP Tejasvi Surya complaining about the current traffic situation in Bengaluru and asking the state government to solve it, Rai said, "Was the traffic problem solved when the BJP was in power earlier?"
He said that Bengaluru is a beautiful city.
Reactions To Rai's Rant
Rai's post on X triggered reactions from the users of the social media platform. "So, tell us how it feels to get stuck in the traffic like a common man?" X user @abhiiiiiii93 said.
"A politician complaining on Twitter about problems that are outside their jurisdiction... peak irony," user @divyanshu_348 said.
READ: BJP MLA Turns Traffic Cop For A Day In Bengaluru
"The public are suffering every day, but this parliamentarian is feeling the pinch when his flight gets delayed and he cannot find any traffic police to escort him. All politicians must be denied police escorts and must be made to suffer like the common man; only then things will change," a third user said.
"One thing we should love about Bengaluru's traffic is that it treats everyone equally," another user said.
Some of the people in the comments section requested Rai to raise the issue of Bengaluru traffic in the Winter Session of Parliament, which started on Monday.
Meanwhile, some also said nothing can be done as Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar are busy fighting over who will lead Karnataka.
