Twitterati compare PM Modi's feet washing to Chouhan's, calling it Election Drama
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Bhopal: The act of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan washing the feet of the tribal man, who was subjected to the heinous act of having urine poured on his face by Pravesh Shukla, an upper-caste BJP activist, did not resonate well on Twitter.
Many users criticized the act, calling it a political drama orchestrated ahead of the Assembly election, drawing comparisons to PM Modi washing the feet of sanitation workers prior to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
In a video shared on Twitter, CM Chouhan can be seen washing the feet of Dashmat Rawat, as a gesture of repentance and personally apologising to the tribal man. Dressed formally, Rawat was respectfully brought in by the chief minister and was seated on a chair while Chouhan sat humbly beside him on a stool. Despite initial hesitation, Rawat complied with Chouhan's request to remove his shoes, allowing the chief minister to wash his feet as a sign of remorse.
CM Chouhan extended a heartfelt apology to Dashmat Rawat and garlanded him and draped him in a white cloth, symbolizing an act of honour and respect.
However, many Twitter users reacting to CM Chouhan’s feet-washing act, suggested that it is worth only to gain sympathetic votes in the upcoming Assembly elections scheduled for November. Some also compared the act with the feet washing session, which was well spread across social media, of Prime Minister Narendra Modi washing the feet of sanitation works ahead of 2019.
One user commented that “People will call it a Drama or a Political Gimmick!! Whatsoever but this is How we will break the Shackles of Caste System!! By not Peeing on Perpetrator of Henious crime but by conferring the Victim the Respect he deserves. Hail @ChouhanShivraj CM Of MP for this Gesture.”
The other one tweeted that “The leaders of Nautanki Janata Party first insult the poor, exploited, backward, tribals in the entire state by doing inhuman acts with them, and when the truth is exposed, their leaders leave the PM behind in 'nautanki'. Shivraj, instead of washing feet for the camera, control the misdeeds of your leaders.”
“Like teacher like disciple. Same Energy Shivraj ji has got the quality of gimmickry and cameramanship only from his Guru. First insult then wash your feet and take a bath in the Ganges! Welcome to Duty Time from Amrit Kaal!,” tweeted one user sharing two images of CM Chouhan and PM Modi washing the feet of Rawat and sanitation workers.
Meanwhile, in response to the incident, the Sidhi district administration partially demolished Pravesh Shukla's house. Shukla, who was taken into custody on July 4 following the circulation of a viral video showing him urinating on Dashmat Rawat, faces legal consequences.
He has been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 294 (obscene acts) and 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), as well as provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Additionally, the stringent National Security Act has been invoked against him.
