NEW DELHI: Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole found himself at the centre of controversy after a video showing a party worker washing his muddy feet emerged on social media. The incident occurred on Monday during Patole’s visit to Akola district, where he attended a program in Wadegaon and took a ‘darshan’ of Saint Gajanan Maharaj’s palanquin.
Patole visited Nanasaheb Chincholkar Vidyalaya where people had gathered for the ‘Palkhi Darshan’.Upon returning to his car, a man was seen assisting the Congress leader by washing the dirt from his feet. The video of this incident quickly spread on social media platforms, erupting a controversy.
In response to the criticism, Patole said that the matter was blown out of proportion and issued a clarification. The Maharashtra Congress chief said, “Due to the rains, there was mud & after that one of our party workers came and started pouring water (on my feet) and I washed my feet. BJP made such a big issue of this…They were the ones to talk about ‘Har ghar mein nal, har ghar mein jal’. If it (tap) had been there I would have gone and washed my feet with the tap water.”
The BJP questioned the “culture” of the Congress over the incident. BJP Mumbai’s official handle on X wrote, “What is unfortunate is that the Congress is repeatedly insulting the workers who fight for their lives. It’s a shame that Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole made an activist wash his feet because his feet was muddy. Is this the culture of Congress?”
Patole visited Nanasaheb Chincholkar Vidyalaya where people had gathered for the ‘Palkhi Darshan’.Upon returning to his car, a man was seen assisting the Congress leader by washing the dirt from his feet. The video of this incident quickly spread on social media platforms, erupting a controversy.
In response to the criticism, Patole said that the matter was blown out of proportion and issued a clarification. The Maharashtra Congress chief said, “Due to the rains, there was mud & after that one of our party workers came and started pouring water (on my feet) and I washed my feet. BJP made such a big issue of this…They were the ones to talk about ‘Har ghar mein nal, har ghar mein jal’. If it (tap) had been there I would have gone and washed my feet with the tap water.”
The BJP questioned the “culture” of the Congress over the incident. BJP Mumbai’s official handle on X wrote, “What is unfortunate is that the Congress is repeatedly insulting the workers who fight for their lives. It’s a shame that Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole made an activist wash his feet because his feet was muddy. Is this the culture of Congress?”
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla described the action as a reflection of Congress’ “Nawabi feudal shehzada” mindset and demanded an apology from both the party and Patole himself.
Poonawalla said, “Congress has a Nawabi Feudal Shehzada mindset. Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole 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.”
(With agency inputs)