Following a heated exchange with party colleague Rivaba Jadeja, BJP MP Poonamben Maadam described the episode as "a misunderstanding," news agency ANI reported. She claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party is like a "family" in which each member is a source of strength for the others. “There was definitely some misunderstanding and its reaction was visible in the viral video. And as I said, the party is like a family, everyone in it is the strength of each other," BJP MP Maadam stated.
Her response came after a video of Rivaba, the Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja's wife, went viral. After being dubbed "over-smart" by Maadam and Jamnagar's municipal mayor Bina Kothari, the first-time BJP legislator from Jamnagar (north) seat engaged in a verbal brawl.
Rivaba Jadega notified reporters about the triggering phrase. “The MP said loudly, in a way that the Press and all other party members and others present around could hear, that the President and Prime Minister don’t remove their footwear, but some people with no understanding try to act over smart and remove their footwear," she stated.
Defending herself about the heated exchange, the Jamnagar North MLA said, “MP Poonamben Maadam paid tribute to the Bravehearts by wearing slippers and I took off the slippers. She said in a loud voice that even the PM and the President do not remove slippers in such programs but some ignorant people become over-smart.”
“I did not like his comment, so I spoke out of self-respect...Did I make a mistake by taking off my slippers?” she remarked, as quoted by news agency ANI.