Rapido Bike Illegal, But Sponsorship Legal

Lokmat

Watch Rapido Bike Illegal, But Sponsorship Legal - Lokmat on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Dear viewers, have you ever seen someone burn down a house

00:22and then host a housewarming party in the ashes?

00:26Welcome to Maharashtra's Transport Ministry

00:28where bike taxis are illegal

00:31until they are the title sponsor of your family event.

00:34Yes, we are talking about Tratap Sarnaik, the Transport Minister.

00:38The man who thundered against Ola, Ubeyra and Rapido,

00:42called them thieves,

00:43said they were looting drivers,

00:45promised strict action,

00:46filed FIRs,

00:47seized bikes,

00:48carried out sting-offs like a Netflix vigilante.

00:51But in a twist straight out of political satire,

00:54the same company he declared illegal,

00:56Rapido ended up sponsoring his son's grand Zahihandi event,

01:01the Pro Govinda League.

01:02Now you can call this coincidence

01:04or you can call it by its real name,

01:07Quid Pro Govinda.

01:08Hello, I am Tejas and you are watching

01:10Honest Reek on Lokman Times.

01:11In today's video,

01:12we are discussing how Maharashtra's Transport Minister,

01:16Pratap Sarnaik,

01:17first brandished private ride-hailing apps as thieves

01:21and then took sponsorship from one of them for his family event.

01:25But before we move ahead,

01:26please do subscribe to our channel if you haven't already

01:29and press the bell icon to never miss an update.

01:32So, let's unpack this farce.

01:34July 2025,

01:35Sarnaik goes full Batman.

01:37He books a Rapido ride from Mantralaya to Dadar under a fake name.

01:41When the bike arrives,

01:42he leaps out like a Bollywood cop,

01:44flashing his ID

01:45and delivers his sermon.

01:47He even offered the driver Rs. 500 out of sympathy.

01:54The rider refused.

01:55FIRs were filed,

01:56media headlines went wild,

01:58over 100 bike taxis were seized across Mumbai,

02:01Thane, Navi, Mumbai.

02:02Come August 2025,

02:04not even a month later,

02:05Rapido shows up again,

02:07this time not as a villain,

02:08but as a VIP sponsor of the Pro Govinda League.

02:12Let's be clear,

02:13this event is no small affair.

02:14It's run by Purvesh Sarnaik.

02:16The minister's son.

02:18And it is styled like an IPL for Govindas.

02:21Big money,

02:21big branding,

02:22Rs. 1.5 crore in prize money.

02:24Flashy auctions,

02:25cheering crowd,

02:26glamour,

02:27glitter

02:27and right up there on the banner.

02:29Pro Govinda League,

02:31powered by Rapido.

02:32Yes,

02:33that Rapido.

02:34The same one under FIR,

02:35the same one Sarnaik publicly blasted.

02:38Not just a sponsor,

02:39the title sponsor.

02:41You know what that means?

02:42Their logo was on every hoarding,

02:44every social media post.

02:45The company that was illegal on July 10th,

02:48became the event partner on August 10th.

02:51Smells like something more than just Dahihandi breaking.

02:55Now let's ask the uncomfortable question.

02:58Was this a coincidence or a classic Quid Pro Gov?

03:02Think about it.

03:03The minister launches a crackdown,

03:05paints a company as a criminal,

03:07creates legal uncertainty.

03:09Then,

03:09miraculously,

03:10that same company bankrolls a family event.

03:14That's not partnership,

03:15that's pressure politics.

03:17Insiders are already whispering the B word,

03:20blackmail.

03:21Did Rapido agree to fund the event

03:22to make the FIRs disappear,

03:25to stop the raids,

03:26to ensure they could continue operations quietly?

03:28Let's not pretend this is unheard of.

03:31Politicians squeezing private players

03:33is practically a playbook in Indian politics.

03:36Companies face two options.

03:38Fight it out legally,

03:39or pay up and play nice.

03:41In this case,

03:42it seems Rapido chose to play nice.

03:44And in doing so,

03:45it exposed the minister's true play.

03:47Not public safety,

03:48not legality,

03:49not policy enforcement,

03:51just good old-fashioned arm twisting.

03:54Now let's dig deeper.

03:55Is this an office of profit violation?

03:57Under Article 191 of the Constitution,

04:00MLAs are disqualified

04:01if they hold any position

04:02that brings financial benefit from their office.

04:06The event is run by his son,

04:07under a trust,

04:08whose founder and chairman is Pratap Sarnayat himself,

04:11featuring massive sponsorships,

04:13including one from a company

04:15under his own department's regulatory scanner.

04:18That's indirect benefit.

04:20He used his public power to choke a private firm,

04:23and that same firm ended up

04:25funding his family venture.

04:27That's not just unethical,

04:29it's dangerously close to being illegal.

04:31At the very best,

04:32it reeks of conflict of interest.

04:34At worst,

04:35it could open the door

04:36for disqualification proceedings

04:38under the Office of Profits clause.

04:40And yet,

04:41no explanation,

04:42no questions from within the government,

04:44no investigation.

04:46Because in Maharashtra politics,

04:47profit is never off office.

04:49It is the office.

04:51Here is the kicker.

04:52Even while blasting private players like Rapido,

04:54Sarnayat was announcing plans

04:56for a government-backed app.

04:58Something like Jai Maharashtra,

05:00Mahago,

05:00or Mahayatri.

05:02An indigenous ride-hailing platform

05:04powered by state subsidy

05:05designed to empower jobless youth.

05:08Banks were told to offer 10% loans

05:11with 11% government subsidy.

05:13Effectively free money to buy vehicles

05:15and join the new scheme.

05:17Sounds like a Robinhood story, right?

05:19But let's ask again,

05:21if you're building

05:21a clean, transparent,

05:23state-run system,

05:25why is the face of your mega event

05:27a company you claim is illegal?

05:29Either Rapido is legend,

05:31in which case,

05:32stop the witch hunt,

05:33or it is illegal,

05:34in which case,

05:35don't take their check.

05:37This isn't governance.

05:38This is pure gimmickry.

05:39And in the middle,

05:40citizens, drivers, riders,

05:42taxpayers are being played.

05:44Let's be very clear,

05:45bike taxis are illegal in Maharashtra.

05:48The only exception,

05:49electric vehicles.

05:50And even that is under

05:51a patchy, half-notified policy.

05:54So when Rapido runs petrol bikes

05:56through Mumbai, Pune, Thane,

05:58it is illegal.

05:59Just like Sarnayk said.

06:01But what is also illegal

06:02is using public power

06:03to benefit private interests.

06:05And that's exactly

06:06what this looks like.

06:07Public office is supposed

06:09to serve people,

06:10not foreigner companies,

06:11into sponsorships.

06:12If Rapido is truly illegal,

06:14the transport department

06:15should ban it outright.

06:17No grey zones,

06:18no exemptions,

06:19no branding deals.

06:20But they won't.

06:21Because illegality

06:23is not a bug.

06:24It's a feature.

06:25A bargaining chip.

06:26Just like the dance bars.

06:28You keep things illegal,

06:29so you can extract benefits

06:31without giving legal clarity.

06:33Classic Indian Netagiri.

06:35This isn't governance.

06:36It's a Govinda circus,

06:37where the dahi never breaks.

06:39But democracy,

06:40surely does.

06:41I am Tejas,

06:42and this was your Honest Take.

06:43Until next time,

06:44stay sharp,

06:45stay curious,

06:45and never stop asking tough questions.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended