Lucknow, Feb 6: Notwithstanding criticism for going on a foreign junket and enjoying entertainment programmes by Bollywood stars at a time when displaced riot victims still lived in pitiable conditions in relief camps, Uttar Pradesh ministers continued to have their fun and that too in full public view.
A senior UP minister was seen dancing with bar girls at a function and showering currency notes on her in Muzaffarnagar, which was rocked by large-scale communal violence in September last year.
The minister, Chitranjan Swaroop, who is also an MLA from the town, was caught on camera dancing with a bar girl with wads of currency notes in his hands.
The footage, which were aired on the local TV channels, triggered sharp reactions from the opposition parties.
“It is shameful for a minister to enjoy in such a manner when hundreds of people have been living in tents at relief camps in his own district,” said BJP leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak.
The UP government had invited flak from different quarters for spending huge amount of money and inviting Bollywood stars at Saifai festival and sending its delegation on a foreign junket at a time when displaced Muzaffarnagar riot victims braved chilly winds under the open sky in relief camps.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had, however, not only defended the Saifai festival but also vent his ire on the media for what he alleged was “misreporting” and trying to tarnish the image of the government.
An angry chief minister had also accused the media of using “objectionable” words in its coverage of the Saifai festival, which he claimed was a “cultural festival” aimed at promoting local culture and tourism in the state.
On the foreign tour of ministers, Akhilesh said the delegation had left only after getting permission from the Centre. He also asked the media not to “provoke” the Samajwadi Party into a “sangharsh” (confrontation).
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