‘3 per cent divorces due to traffic’, says former Maharashtra CM’s wife

Traffic jams deny ‘family time’ to people and cause three per cent of divorces in Mumbai, former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s wife Amruta Fadnavis has claimed.

The remark drew ridicule from the Shiv Sena, which controls the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Amruta Fadnavis made the comment after attending a function organised by a local BJP unit on Friday. She was asked by reporters about the condition of roads in the city.

“….I am saying this as a common citizen because I see potholes and traffic jams daily. Do you know how many divorces are taking place because of it in Mumbai? Three per cent,” she said.

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“People cannot find time for their families because of traffic issues,” Fadnavis, a banker by profession, added.

Reacting to the remark, Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted, “Best (ill)logic of the day award goes to the lady who claims 3 per cent Mumbaikars are divorcing due to traffic on roads. Please take a holiday break rather than having a mind on brake.

“Bengaluru families please avoid reading this, can prove fatal for your marriages,” Chaturvedi added.

Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar said that “people associated with BJP are making comments like this.” “People are fed up with such comments,” she said.

Civic polls will be held in Mumbai this year.

Meanwhile, Fadnavis’ comment has started a meme fest on social media with users coming up with their own take on the subject.

One user said: “I have read about some instances when a spouse landed up early and caught the other half in flagrante and decided to divorce. But I suppose you could blame that on good or scanty traffic, not traffic jams.”

Another user said: “From now, every “why no marriage yet?” will be responded to with a “traffic causes divorces and I live in Bangalore”. Thank you Amruta Fadnavis.

A doctor said: “Traffic causes divorces. For even me who has come across several potential divorce cases professionally as a sex med doc,that was a googly that came out of nowhere. Tx for the enlightenment, Amruta Fadnavis. I hv lost my powers of lateral thinking, connecting the dots. Getting old.”