‘Ganga Maiya has reached your doorstep to clean your feet,’ minister’s remarks spark controversy

LUCKNOW: A minister’s remark while visiting the flood affected areas in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur has sparked a controversy. The minister said Ganga Maiya had come to wash the feet of her sons and that even a glimpse of the Ganges would lead to heaven. The minister alleged that the opposition parties were misleading the people. The controversial remark was made by UP minister Sanjay Nishad. The footage of the minister telling the people about this while visiting the Bhoginipur area of the district is widely shared on social media.

The controversial remark came after villagers told the minister, ‘The entire area is under water. Houses have collapsed. We have no other place to go.’ The villagers, shocked by the minister's remarks, clarified that they live on the banks of the Yamuna River and not on the banks of the Ganges. There is widespread criticism, including on social media, against the minister's remarks.

Sanjay Nishad is the president of the Nishad Party, an ally of the state BJP. The minister visited the flood-hit areas and distributed relief aid to the flood-affected people. The floods have affected 402 villages in 17 districts of the state. These include districts like Agra, Chitrakoot, Lakhimpur Kheri, Ballia, Banda, Ghazipur, Chandauli, etc. In most areas, the state's major rivers Ganga and Yamuna are overflowing their banks.