Have a loud voice: Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey defends himself after misbehaving with SDM

The minister was caught on camera yelling at SDM KK Upadhyay after his convoy was stopped for allegedly violating Model Code of Conduct.

New Delhi: Union Minister and senior BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Choubey has defended himself after misbehaving with Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) KK Upadhyay in Buxar district, saying he was not angry and that he has a loud voice.

The minister was caught on camera on Saturday yelling at Upadhyay after his convoy was stopped. The convoy reportedly had more than the number of vehicles permitted when the Model Code of Conduct is in effect. While it appeared that he was visibly agitated, Choubey later said that he just had a loud voice. "It (the incident) was nothing. I never get angry. It is just that some people have stamped it as an anger incident. My voice is so loud that even when I am speaking without a mic, my voice reaches from one place to another,"  he said. "My voice cannot be stopped in a democracy."

While Choubey was indeed loud on Saturday, he has been called out for also being quite enraged. The video of Saturday's incident has gone viral on the internet in which Upadhyay can be seen trying to calmly reason with the politician. Upadhyay is heard saying in the video that the instructions from the Election Commission have to be followed and that the vehicles, not the minister, have to be seized. The reaction from Choubey, however, is quite scathing.

#WATCH Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey misbehaves with SDM KK Upadhyay in Buxar after the official had stopped his convoy for violating model code of conduct. #Bihar (30.3.19) pic.twitter.com/G7Fp96zOug

— ANI (@ANI) March 31, 2019

Choubey's supporters continued to chant slogans and the minister's convoy moved from the spot without paying attention to the SDM's warning.