A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker washed party MP Nishikant Dubey’s feet and drank the dirty water at a function in Jharkhand’s Godda district, triggering an uproar.
Dubey had gone to lay the foundation stone of a bridge at Kanbhara village in Godda block – around 330 km – from Ranchi on Sunday where Pawan Kumar Sah, a party worker, washed BJP MP’s feet on a metal plate and then gulped down the water.
Visuals from the public event went viral on social media, sparking controversy. Criticising BJP, the state Congress described the incident as ‘shameful’.
“WOW! Washing the feet has been tradition, says BJP. And making an OBC drink the same water is also BJP tradition? Shameful!” the Jharkhand Congress posted on Twitter.
Dubey, meanwhile, addressed a press conference in Godda on 17 September in presence of Sah, alleging that the Opposition was raking up the matter after failing to cash in on issues like the Rafale deal and fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya.
When pressed further, the two-time MP from Godda constituency pointed towards Sah and said he would answer.
Justifying his act, Sah said Dubey was like his elder brother and he had decided to perform this ritual after a sanction was given for the bridge.
Denying any possibility of being forced to wash Dubey's feet, he said, “There was a knife with me. Had anybody put pressure on me I would have stabbed myself.”
“Washing his feet and consuming the water had been in my mind when I told him (Dubey) to construct a bridge, so that reaching to a hospital would be reduced by seven kilometres,” the party worker said, warning that he will file a case if anybody indulged in spreading misinformation.
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