Maharashtra minister clarifies after Opposition alleges 'blackmail' over Rapido sponsoring son's event

Maharashtra Ptransport Minister Pratap Sarnaik. (Source: X/@PratapSarnaik)

Battling allegations of alleged "blackmail" from Opposition parties including the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) over Rapido sponsoring a commercial event organized by his son a month after he directed action against the bike taxi aggregator, Maharashtra's Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Monday denied any wrongdoing and said that the event should not be linked to politics.

The minister came under fire from Opposition leaders after it Rapido emerged as the main sponsor of the Pro-Govinda League 2025 -- a Dahi Handi competition in Mumbai which kicked off on Wednesday. The competition, with a total prize kitty of Rs 1.5 crore, is being organized by the minister's son Purvesh.

Notably, the minister had directed action against Rapido for "illegally" operating in Mumbai in contravention of the existing transport laws. Raids launched by his department soon after led to the confiscation of 78 bike taxis operating for Rapido.

मंत्रालय येथूनचं ट्रॅप ऑपरेशन - अनधिकृत रॅपिडो बाईक टॅक्सी सेवांवर थेट कारवाई...#PratapSarnaik #TransportMinister#MaharashtraTransport #ActionAgainstIllegalBikeTaxi@rapidobikeapp pic.twitter.com/K81GiHydIb

— Pratap Baburao Sarnaik (@PratapSarnaik) July 2, 2025

The minister had also shared a video on his X handle in which he caught a Rapido bike taxi plying near the Mantralaya junction in Mumbai after booking a ride on the app suing a random name.

In his statement after Opposition accused him of allegedly "misusing his position" as minister to get Rapido to sponsor an event organized by his son, Sarnaik said that his department took action against Rapido in July while the company was onboarded as a sponsor way back in May.

"I had taken action against the company on July 2, whereas the sponsorship was given on May 26. I fearlessly took action against the company that was sponsoring the pro-Govinda event organised by my son, Purvesh Sarnaik. Instead of praising the action, some people are opposing it for the sake of it," Sarnaik said.

His son Purvesh told The Indian Express: "We had appointed a professional agency to look after the issues of sponsorship and publicity. They brought Rapido on board in the month of May. The episode of the minister taking action against Rapido happened in July."

The clarifications came after Opposition leaders took on Sarnaik over the development. Congress legislature party leader Vijay Wadettiwar said Sarnaik should be congratulated for showing the state government how to raise money.

"First, you book a bike through a private app, then you catch the poor biker… make videos of it… and build your own image. And then, what a great idea to get funds for the event from these troubled private app owners. The minister showed how to raise funds when Maharashtra’s coffers are in tatters," he said taking a dig at Sarnaik.

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar termed the development as "blackmail" and asked if it did not amount to misuse of position on part of the minister.

"The minister caught the Rapido bike. He got publicity. And then he rapidly changed his position and brokered a sponsorship. It just proves that this government works for itself and not for the public. I want to ask whether this is not a misuse of the ministerial post?" he asked.

Maharashtra’s bike taxi policy has been in draft form since 2022. After several re-drafts, the final draft was issued in June, but is yet to be officially implemented.