UP Minister faces flak over washing hands in ‘Shivling’s Argha', opposition calls him ‘Adharmi’
Yogi Adityanath should sack him for this anti-religious act," he added. Minister Sharma, however, countered the allegations saying he did nothing wrong, if he had, the priest would have stopped him. The priest of the temple said that as the minister's had 'prasad' in his hand, he helped him wash them in the 'argha' of the shivling and there is nothing wrong in this.
The incident happened on August 27, when Sharma visited the temple with Public Works Minister Jitin Prasad. Sharma and district in-charge minister Jitin Prasad had gone to Hetmapur village of Ramnagar tehsil to distribute relief material to the flood victims and both of them had stopped to pray at the temple. "The minister should know what he is doing.
Will we wash our hands when we offer water and pay our respects? The minister has insulted Sanatan Dharma." PTI reported quoting UP Congress President Ajay Rai. Samajwadi Party leader and former MLC Sunil Singh Sajan said that if the leader belonged to some other caste, BJP would have expelled him by now. "When will Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expel this 'adharmi' minister? This is the real character of BJP.
First they will ask for votes in the name of religion and then do such things," PTI reported quoting Sajan as saying. Minister Satish Sharma told PTI that the opposition was unnecessarily blowing up the matter. "I am a Sanatani Shiv bhakt.
I know very well what is right and what is wrong. The opposition is unnecessarily blowing up the issue," the minister told PTI. "I did what I felt was right.
It was not my intention to hurt anyone. If I was wrong, the priest would not have washed my hands, " he added. Sharma related the entire sequence of events saying the act came in between the pooja ritual.
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