Rajasthan Health Minister urinates on road again, says it’s no biggie

In major embarrassment for the BJP government in Rajasthan and for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose pet scheme is the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a picture of state Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf urinating on the walls of the Pink City has gone viral. Saraf, however, shrugged it off, saying it was "not a big issue".

The picture comes as the Jaipur Municipal Corporation is working hard to bring the city on the top charts under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. According to rules, those urinating on roads are asked to cough up fine of ₹200.

As media reached Saraf’s office to seek his response, he declined to comment, saying he doesn't want to talk on this topic as it is not a big issue.

In her response, Congress' Rajasthan unit Vice President Archana Sharma said that at a time when so much money is being spent on Swachh Bharat, such leaders are giving a wrong message by doing such "shameful" deeds. This should not have happened by the minister in his own constituency, she added.

Sharma also said that during the Dholpur bypoll, when she was travelling together with Saraf, he had urinated publicly even then, however she failed to click a photo because of "poll stress at that time".

The BJP had to face major embarrassment after it lost all three bypolls—two Lok Sabha and one Assembly—held in Rajasthan late last month. Since then, the ruling party has been garnering media attention for all the wrong reasons.

Inputs by NH Web Desk.