Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey landed himself in a controversy after a video surfaced of him arguing with a government official.
Choubey, the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet, was campaigning in his parliamentary constituency Buxar when a Sub-Divisional Magistrate stopped him for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
According to reports, Choubey was travelling in a convoy of around 40 vehicles, more than the permitted limit, after addressing a public meeting which, too, went beyond the allotted time limit set by the ECI.
The officer, KK Upadhyay, is seen in the video, which has also been uploaded by ANI, calmly informing Choubey of the alleged violation.
An enraged Choubey, who is seen sitting in the front seat of his vehicle, is heard telling the officer not to make a scene.
“Who’s order is it?” Choubey is heard asking to which the officer tells him that he is following the orders of the ECI.
“Then send me to jail. This is my vehicle and you cannot seize it,” says Choubey when the officer tells him that orders are to confiscate the vehicles and not the person.
Following the altercation, the officer said that a case will be registered for every vehicle in the convoy.
“It has been reported that there were many vehicles parked here at Zila Maidan. There was no permission for vehicles but about 30 to 40 vehicles were in the convoy,” he said.
Choubey has been fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) once again from Buxar.