From Smriti Irani to Mamata Banerjee - Politicians are now stepping out on two-wheelers in poll-bound West Bengal

From Smriti Irani to Mamata Banerjee - Politicians are now stepping out on two-wheelers in poll-bound West Bengal

Anwesha MitraUpdated: Friday, February 26, 2021, 03:17 PM IST
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Whether you're travelling atop them or making kindling out of it, two wheelers are the newest expression of politicking. And it does not matter which party you belong to or what cause you're fighting for.

In poll bound West Bengal for example, two leading politicians from different parties are showing the way. A day after videos of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee riding an electric scooter to work went viral, BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani's scooty ride during a roadshow in the state is grabbing eyeballs.

But while the optics may be similar, their reasons are rather somewhat contradictory. As the posters slung from her neck while she rode pillion clarified, Mamata was registering her protest against rising fuel prices in the country. In front of her sat Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim adeptly driving the vehicle to the state secretariat.

Now, with Smriti Irani being a part of the ruling BJP government at the Centre, it is safe to assume that her reasons for taking a two-wheeler are somewhat different. The Minister of Textiles was leading a BJP roadshow in West Bengal's Panchpota, as the party looks to unseat the ruling Trinamool Congress. We feel compelled to mention here that Irani was at the helm of her own vehicle.

But the strange trend is not limited to West Bengal alone.

In Bihar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav chose a somewhat healthier way to join the new trend - riding a bicycle from his residence to the Secretariat in Patna. Similar to Mamata, he too was protesting against rising fuel prices. Visuals of Yadav cycling on even as police officials and several men attired in suits jog alongside have since gone viral.

Across the country in Jammu and Kashmir, the protest against rising fuel prices once again involved a scooty - albeit handled in a very different manner. You see, while the previous entrants to this list had been keen to make their point heard by using the vehicles, Shiv Sena leaders in Jammu decided that the best way was to set it on fire.

After getting their impromptu bonfire going, they remained gathered around, carrying posters and flags that emphasised their point.

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