Twitterati condemn Gadkari’s helmet-less ride

NAGPUR : The row over union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari not having worn a helmet while riding a two-wheeler has taken Twitter by storm with a lot of tweets pouring in on the controversy. The microblogging site has become a platform for discussion and debate over the issue wearing a helmet and the rules around it.
Most people seemed to believe that Gadkari had set a wrong example by not wearing a helmet when he himself had spoken for stringent action against traffic violators.
Amit Aditya Jha@amitadityajha tweeted, “Didn’t you violate a rule by driving helmet-less on scooty in #Nagpur, Mr. Minister @nitin_gadkari? Shouldn’t u lead by exmpl #RoadsOKPlease.” Similarly, Aariz_Kid Dynamite@patrakaariz wrote, “In Nagpur, it's comman to not to wear Helmet but @nitin_gadkari ji, ur offence had been made was without helmet, spl u r Cabinet Minister.”
Some were quite critical of the minister’s actions and were quite open about it. sunil tugnayat @suniltugnayat1 wrote, “@anjanaomkashyap hum hai Nagpur ke betaaj baadshah. rules never for us we make not follow. this Indian sarkar since independence. jai ho.” And @manishkinhikar questioned the traffic police and their credibility and moral standing on taking action on Gadkari and tweeted, “With what morality is the CP is expected 2 book @nitin_gadkari 4 violation when Nagpur #TrafficPolice entrusted2 en4ce r bigtym defaulters.”
But some also defended Gadkari, like in the following conversation. Beas Adhikary@beasRex tweeted, “#GadkariWithoutHelmet transport minister riding scooter without helmet can happen only in India #shame.” In a reply, Jay@jaynext wrote, “@beasRex well u guys don't know the ground realities, wearing helmet is not required by law in #Nagpur, traffic police won’t fine u.” There is, in fact, no relaxation of the helmet rule in Nagpur. It’s just that it remains on paper.
And DedicatedPM@DelhiGreat tried to compare Gadkari’s actions with that of Aam Admi Party (AAP) members. DedicatedPM@DelhiGreat tweeted, “@re_ve_ng_er @rupeshsingh10 @gsgarima36 Helmet not mandatory in Nagpur. See below aaptard.”
While Fasahat Zaidi@fasahatrzaidi tweeted, “@jaynext are you saying Maharashtra traffic rules don’t apply in Nagpur or Shah got them amended for Gadkari?”, others tried to defend him and many it seemed believed that such a rule did not exist, like trivedisavan@savantrivedi007 who wrote, “@anjanaomkashyap nagpur me helmet ka kanoon nahi he mam.”
Some also questioned the practical sense behind the compulsory helmet rule which is not implemented in the city properly. Kailash Khandelwal@consultkpk tweeted, “@timesofindia What’s the use of Helmet in crowded mahal area of Nagpur where U cant drive the vehicle more than 20-30 km/h,” and continued commenting on the lack of respect for law among people, “@timesofindia In Nagpur city, hardly 1% people wears helmet that 2 only by those who are more conscious about their life & Not about law.”