Surat – In a tumultuous general meeting of the Surat Municipal Corporation on Monday, all opposition members were suspended after addressing the mayor with derogatory terms such as "coward," "slave," and "Dhritarashtra." The mayor, Hemali Boghavala, repeatedly urged the opposition to maintain decorum during the assembly.
The meeting, held at Sardar Patel Sadan, began with opposition member Kanu Gediya shifting his chair away from the mayor's dais and sitting with his back to it. Gediya displayed a playing card with "Dhritarashtra" written on it and accused the mayor of favoritism in the debate. This behavior sparked an uproar, with both opposition and BJP members expressing their anger.
Despite multiple instructions from the mayor, Gediya refused to change his seating position and was subsequently suspended from the board. Marshals then escorted Gediya out of the hall.
The situation further escalated when opposition party member Mahesh Andhan alleged a scam in the handling of the Khajod garbage dump during the presentation of the Standing Committee's work. Andhan referred to the mayor as a "coward" and a "slave," causing further commotion in the assembly. Women councilors from the BJP objected to the remarks, calling them an insult to both the mayor and women in general.
The mayor demanded an apology from the opposition, but when they refused, she suspended all opposition members
present at the meeting. As they left the auditorium, the opposition members continued to protest by raising slogans against the mayor.
In response to the opposition's actions during the Surat Municipal Corporation's General Assembly, Mayor Boghavala stated that the opposition is typically given the opportunity to speak during the Zero Hour, based on the number of members present. She explained that the 30-minute Zero Hour typically allows two or three members of the ruling party and one member of the opposition to speak. However, some opposition members seemed more interested in causing disruptions than engaging in constructive dialogue.
The mayor expressed disappointment in the opposition's disregard for the dignity of the assembly and the insult to both her position and women. She lamented that the opposition appeared to lack enthusiasm for development-oriented discussions, attending the meetings only to create a ruckus and mark their presence.
