Lucknow: The Congress on Monday released a purported video of UP minister Satish Sharma who is seen washing his hands near a Shivling at the Lodheshwar Mahadev Temple in Barabanki.
The video has gone viral on social media and has sparked criticism.
In the viral video, UP ministers Satish Sharma and Jitin Prasad can be seen standing near the temple with folded hands. Satish Sharma then gestures and communicates with the priest, after which he assists in pouring water. Subsequently, Satish Sharma is seen washing his hands near the Shivling.
Sharing the video, the Congress said, "UP government minister Satish Sharma is washing his hands near the Shivling. On the side, another minister, Jitin Prasad, is standing and watching. These low-minded individuals, who use religion and deities for politics and sit on chairs, do not even have the basic intelligence to not wash their hands near the Shivling. For them, our faith, our belief in God, and our deities are only a means to fulfil political objectives. They neither have faith in God nor trust in the people's faith."
Meanwhile, former Legislative Council member from the Samajwadi Party, Sunil Singh Yadav, tagged Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and said, "Satish Sharma, who washed his hands over the Lodheshwar Shivling, is a minister in the Yogi government, and alongside him, there are Brahmins with imported faces who were present at the temple. If a leader of any other caste had done the same thing, the hypocritical BJP would have got him expelled by now. By the way, why is Baba silent?"
The priest who was present at the temple when the incident took place, later put out a video statement saying that the minister was performing ‘achman’ and not washing his hands, as is being alleged.
—IANS
