Congress party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi was in Mumbai on Friday. For Mumbaikars though, his visit was nothing short of a nightmare, with most main roads closed and barricaded for security reasons.

Gandhi travelled from the airport to the Congress office in central Mumbai, using the western expressway highway, which is one of the busiest roads in the city and the main arterial road in the western suburbs.

Usually used by thousands to commute from the western suburbs to South Mumbai, his motorcade led to massive traffic jams across the city.

Members of civil society, activist and students vented their anger on Twitter. þ@jitengajaria tweeted, “Rahul Gandhi (poster) is on every tree, every pole, every street light, actually every possible place in Mumbai, defacing the city.”

Adman Suhel Seth noted: “Has this country lost it??? Roads from the airport Bombay closed owing to Rahul Gandhi’s arrival so what’s that c*** about ‘aam aadmi??”

Pritish Nandy too vented: “Its time politicians battled Mumbai traffic the way we do. Not drive through it with a screeching lal batti and police escorts.”

This is Gandhi’s first visit to the city after taking over as Vice-President of the party. He was accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and State Congress chief Manikrao Thakre for a meeting at Tilak Bhavan, which is the party’s State headquarters in central Mumbai.

He held close-door meetings with Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assembly, municipal corporators and senior office-bearers of the party.

> rahul.wadke@thehindu.co.in

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