In an embarrassment for the BJP government in Rajasthan, a picture of state Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf urinating on the walls of the Pink City has gone viral. He however, shrugged it off, saying it was "not a big issue".
The picture comes as the Jaipur Municipal Corporation is working hard to bring the city on the top charts under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
According to rules, those urinating on roads are asked to cough up fine of Rs 200.
IANS tried to contact the Health Minister but his phone was switched off. As media reached his office to seek his response, he declined to comment, saying he doesn't want to talk on this topic as it is not a big issue.
In her response, Congress’ Rajasthan unit Vice President Archana Sharma told IANS that at a time when so much money is being spent on Swachh Bharat, such leaders are giving a wrong message by doing such “shameful” deeds.
This should not have happened by the minister in his own constituency, she added.
Sharma also said that during Dholpur bypolls, when they were going there together, Saraf did the same thing – urinating publicly – on the way. However, she failed to click a photo because of the "poll stress at that time".
The incident comes days after Kota BJP leader Ashok Choudhary wrote to BJP President Amit Shah, voicing dissatisfaction with the Vasundhara Raje government. This was followed by an audio clip going viral in which BJP MLA Gyandev Ahuja is heard asking for a leadership change.
The BJP had to face major embarrassment after it lost all three bypolls, two Lok Sabha and one Assembly, held late last month. Since then, the ruling party has been garnering media attention for all the wrong reasons.
Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf also came under fire from Twitter users who pointed out the irony after his picture went viral.
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