Teena Choudhry, the woman from Mumbai who angrily spoke to BJP minister Girish Mahajan in a jam in Worli, has now given a much calmer explanation of what happened. She says Mahajan listened to her and got the traffic unstuck, and she is doing okay. This new information changes how people are looking at the video that started a lot of argument.
This happened on April 21st close to Mahindra Taj. She’d taken her daughter to a music lesson and was on her way to pick her up when she got caught. After waiting in her car for twenty-five minutes without moving an inch, she got out to see what was happening.
What happened during the Worli traffic jam
Two buses had been parked on the road and were preventing traffic from flowing. For the next hour and a half, she spoke to lots of police officers, asking them to move the buses so cars could turn around and get back on the main road.
No one responded to her. She admits that in the video she threw a bottle on the ground, but she did it to get someone’s attention, not to throw at anyone. As more time passed and her daughter continued to wait, she says she became increasingly desperate.
Mahajan was the only person who actually listened to what she was saying. She says that because of his directions, the buses were moved, allowing the trapped cars to turn around and the road to clear.
Her clarification after the video went viral
In a longer video she made, Teena Choudhry responded to concerns about whether she was safe. She said she is perfectly alright and thanked people for being worried about her. She really wants people to understand that she only shouted because nothing was being done for a very long time as she asked for assistance. reiterated that she shouted because of a long period of being ignored while asking for help.
She’s also asked everyone not to use the incident to attack politicians. She points out that all political parties cause traffic jams with their rallies, and the real problem is how the traffic is inconveniencing the public and whether the people in charge are doing anything about it.
Teena explained that her family has a history of service in the military to show why she expects good service from those in public positions. Her grandfather and father, and other relatives, were in the Indian Army, and she thinks people in uniform shouldn’t be trying to frighten ordinary citizens.
Key points from her statement
Here are the key takeaways she highlighted from the incident and its aftermath:
– She confirmed she is safe
– She waited 25 minutes before stepping out
– She sought help for one-and-a-half hours
– Two buses blocked the route, she said
– The bottle was thrown on the ground, not at people
– Mahajan listened and had buses moved
– She asked people not to politicise the row
What the minister said
After all the controversy, Mahajan said sorry for the trouble. He said the woman seemed very upset about the traffic, and he tried to calm her down. He also said he told her the problem would be sorted out in ten to fifteen minutes.
Mahajan insists the traffic jam wasn’t planned, but was caused by a big crowd. He says these kinds of delays aren’t only a Mumbai thing, and can happen at rallies in any city. He adds that many people at the scene were starting to get impatient because of the delay.
Why the flashpoint resonated
The video became popular because it showed how frustrated a commuter was in heavy traffic during rush hour, with a political event happening on a busy road. Teena Choudhry’s later comments, where she says Mahajan did help, give a more complete picture than the initial view of just a quarrel.
Her version of events also highlights a very common problem for people in the city. When roads become completely blocked, quick cooperation between the event organizers and the police is essential, especially to keep important intersections open and allow traffic to be diverted quickly.
What comes next
Now that Teena Choudhry has explained what happened and Girish Mahajan has apologized, people are once again looking at how to stop this sort of thing from happening again. The situation suggests a clear plan: change the routes of traffic early, quickly move any vehicles blocking the way, and have a simple way for people to give their opinions about the traffic situation.
Teena Choudhry’s final point was very direct. She wants people to speak up for themselves instead of always going to their representatives with everyday problems, and says if people get a quick and polite response, it can stop anger turning into something that spreads quickly on the internet.
