Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal today took a suburban train here as he kicked off his Maharashtra tour, but the ride was far from smooth.
Passengers trying to board the slow local from suburban Andheri to Churchgate were inconvenienced as Kejriwal got into the train along with his senior party colleagues and AAP workers.
When the AAP leader finally reached Churchgate, there was a mad rush with commuters and onlookers jostling for a glimpse of Kejriwal. Among the crowd was also a group of youths who showed black flags to Kejriwal as he was leaving the station.
They said they did not belong to any organisation but were students who were protesting against Kejriwal's alleged "media management" as seen in a leaked video of him on YouTube in which he appears to tell a news anchor to highlight parts of his interview.
Earlier, while a posse of media personnel did manage to board the same compartment as Kejriwal, a protective ring thrown around the AAP leader by his party workers meant there was no interaction with reporters.
Incidentally, the formal media interaction Kejriwal had scheduled here this afternoon has been cancelled.
At Churchgate, many people, including some from the media, were almost squeezed in the rush as Kejriwal made his way outside the station to head to a private fundraiser at Nariman Point in South Mumbai.
Metal detectors at the station were toppled in the heavy rush as AAP workers made their way out.
