Assam: BJP MLA Draws Flak For Piggyback Ride During Flood Review | WATCH

Over 48,000 people have been shifted to 248 relief camps after the floods, triggered by pre-monsoon rains, hit the state.

MLA Misra was in Hojai district to take stock of the flood situation in the area.

New Delhi: A BJP MLA from Assam is being severely criticised by social media users after a video of him taking a piggyback ride on the back of a flood rescue worker went viral. BJP MLA Sibu Misra, from Lumding Assembly, has drawn flak over his ‘insensitive’ gesture in the wake of a devastating flood that has killed at least nine people and affected over 6.6 lakh people across 27 districts in the northeastern state.

A video shared by news agency ANI shows the MLA being carried on the back of a rescue worker in ankle-deep water to a boat that is barely a few steps away.

#WATCH | Assam: BJP MLA from Lumding Assembly, Sibu Misra was seen taking a piggyback ride to a boat, on the back of a flood rescue worker yesterday, May 18th. He was in Hojai to review the flood situation in the area. pic.twitter.com/Rq0mJ8msxt

— ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2022

Notably, MLA Misra was in Hojai district to take stock of the flood situation in the area.

As soon as the video went viral, netizens took to the Twitter handle slamming the BJP MLA. While one of the users wrote, “Don’t insult our police force”, another commented, “Ha ha BJP model.. MLA was testing whether the rescue worker had enough strength 2 carry people while rescuing.”

Meanwhile, over 48,000 people have been shifted to 248 relief camps after the floods, triggered by pre-monsoon rains, hit the state.

Hojai and Cachar are the worst-affected districts with more than one lakh people being affected here. In the ongoing rescue operations, the army has so far rescued more than 2,000 people trapped in the Hojai district.

Dima Hasao district, in south Assam, continued to remain cut off for the fifth day on Thursday after landslides.

The villages along the Brahmaputra, one of the world's largest rivers, are inundated following a rise in the water level due to heavy rains. The rains have also snapped the road and rail connectivity to the Barak Valley and the vital parts of Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur since Sunday.

Notably, the Assam government has decided to provide financial aid of ₹4 lakh each to the families of the deceased.