Maharashtra Minister Ram Shinde has landed himself in a controversy after a video clip purportedly showing him urinating in the open surfaced on social media.
The incident occurred at a point on the Solapur-Barshi stretch, when the water conservation minister was travelling in his car.
When contacted, Shinde told PTI that he urinated in the open as he was feeling ill after touring the state nearly a month for the government's flagship Jalyukta Shivar scheme.
However, the opposition NCP said the minister not finding a toilet on a highway shows that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has failed.
"It is now proved that the government has been looting people in the name of Swachh Bharat cess on petrol and diesel,” NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said.
The Congress also took a dig demanding that Shinde be appointed as the “brand ambassador” of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan for the state.
Taunting the minister, Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said Shinde proved on World Toilet Day that Maharashtra has become open defecation free.
He accused the government of patting its back on “non-existing development”.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS.)
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