Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole is facing criticism after a video showing party workers washing his muddy feet surfaced on social media. Citing the incident, the Bharatiya Janata Party questioned the Congress's "culture".
The incident occurred on Monday when Patole was on a visit to the Akola district where he attended a programme in Wadegaon. After this, he took a 'darshan' of the palanquin of Saint Gajanan Maharaj.
Patole strolled through the mud where people had gathered for the 'palkhi darshan' at Nanasaheb Chincholkar Vidyalaya. Upon returning to his car, a man was seen washing the mud off Patole's feet. A video of the incident quickly spread on social media.
The Maharashtra Congress chief on Tuesday sought to clarify the incident with the potshot at the NDA, saying the government's claim of providing water taps in every home was unfound. "I am not hiding yesterday's incident. The worker was pouring water (on my feet). There was no tap - 'Har ghar mein nal, har ghar mein jal', otherwise I would have used water from the tap," Nana Patole said at a press conference, ANI reported.
The official handle of BJP Mumbai wrote on its social media handle X in Marathi, "What is unfortunate, the Congress is repeatedly insulting the workers who fight for them. It's a shame that Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole made an activist wash his feet because his feet were soiled...! Is this the culture of Congress?"
The BJP also took a dig at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over the incident. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said that the incident reflected the Congress's "nawabi feudal shehzada mindset". He also demanded that the party and Patole issue an apology for the incident.
"Congress has a Nawabi Feudal Shehzada mindset. Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole's gets his leg and feet washed by a party worker in Akola. They treat Janta and workers like Ghulam & themselves like Kings & Queens. Imagine how they treat people without coming to power! What will they do if they by mistake come to power. Nana Patole must apologise & so must Congress," Poonawalla wrote on his social media handle X.