Mumbai Property Agent Apologises After ‘Pure Vegetarian Buyers Only’ Remark Sparks Controversy
Mumbai: A Mumbai real-estate agent has apologised after a video promoting a ₹6.5-crore apartment went viral for saying that only “pure vegetarian” buyers should contact him.
Bhavesh Kaware, who was promoting a nearly completed two-bedroom flat in Tardeo, one of South Mumbai’s prominent and expensive neighbourhoods, issued the apology after facing criticism over the condition attached to the property advertisement.
Kaware met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Amit Thackeray at Shivteerth, the MNS headquarters and residence of party chief Raj Thackeray, on Saturday. During the meeting, he apologised to Thackeray as well as to the people of Mumbai for his remarks.
“If my statement has hurt the sentiments of Mumbaikars, I apologise,” Kaware said. He added that he did not want to take the controversy any further and would now follow the legal process.
Kaware also said that he had been involved in providing housing to Marathi people and intended to continue doing so. In an attempt to address the criticism surrounding his comments, he pointed out that he also owns chicken shops and apologised to the customers who visit those businesses.
The controversy began after Kaware posted a video on social media while showing the apartment in Tardeo. The approximately 900-square-foot flat was being offered for around ₹6.50 crore. In the video, he highlighted the apartment’s features and the panoramic view of South Mumbai and the sea before sharing contact numbers for prospective buyers.
However, what attracted the most attention was his statement that he wanted only “pure vegetarian clients” to contact him regarding the property.
The remark quickly triggered a strong reaction online. Many people questioned whether a buyer’s food habits should have any role in deciding who can purchase a private residence. Some also raised concerns about whether such conditions could continue even after a person had legally purchased the apartment.
As the criticism grew, Kaware eventually deleted the video.
The issue later reached Amit Thackeray, who met the property agent and asked him to apologise to Mumbaikars. Thackeray also criticised some of the videos Kaware posted after the controversy erupted, saying they had further upset people.
Thackeray reportedly told Kaware that Mumbai was already dealing with several serious issues and that there was no need to create another controversy around an issue of this nature.
The episode has once again sparked a wider discussion around housing preferences, dietary choices and discrimination in Mumbai’s real-estate market. While people may have personal preferences regarding their food and lifestyle, the incident has raised questions about how such preferences should be handled when selling or renting homes in a diverse city like Mumbai.
For now, Kaware has expressed regret and said he does not want the matter to escalate further. His apology comes after several days of public criticism surrounding the property advertisement and the condition attached to prospective buyers.
News source: Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
