Controversy Erupts Over UP Minister’s Temple Visit: “Hand-Washing” Video Sparks Debate

In a recent development, the Congress party has released a video that has since gone viral on social media, showing Uttar Pradesh Minister Satish Sharma at the Lodheshwar Mahadev Temple in Barabanki. In the video, Minister Satish Sharma is seen near a Shivling, and this sight has raised criticism and controversy.

The video depicts Minister Satish Sharma, along with fellow UP minister Jitin Prasad, standing with folded hands near the temple. In a subsequent moment, Satish Sharma gestures and engages with the priest, eventually assisting in pouring water. What has sparked the controversy is that Satish Sharma is then shown washing his hands near the Shivling.

The Congress party, upon sharing the video, strongly criticized the actions depicted. They remarked, “UP government minister Satish Sharma is washing his hands near the Shivling. On the side, another minister, Jitin Prasad, is standing and watching. These low-minded individuals, who use religion and deities for politics and sit on chairs, do not even have the basic intelligence to not wash their hands near the Shivling. For them, our faith, our belief in God, and our deities are only a means to fulfill political objectives. They neither have faith in God nor trust in the people’s faith.”

Adding to the controversy, former Legislative Council member from the Samajwadi Party, Sunil Singh Yadav, took to social media, tagging Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He questioned the incident involving Satish Sharma and the presence of Brahmins at the temple with “imported faces.” He suggested that had a leader from another caste done the same, the BJP would have taken swift action. He also questioned the silence of certain figures.

However, it’s worth noting that the priest who was present at the temple during the incident later released a video statement clarifying that Minister Satish Sharma was performing an ‘achman’ ritual and not washing his hands, as alleged. This clarification adds a new dimension to the controversy and raises questions about the interpretation of the video footage.