Maharashtra minister's 'drought selfie' is disgraceful
Maharashtra rural development and water conservation minister Pankaja Munde of the BJP finds herself in the midst of a controversy once again. This time for clicking a selfie, while while reviewing the drought situation in Latur and Beed, on April 17.
Focused: Pankaja Munde, Guardian Minister for #Beed & #Latur, takes a selfie while reviewing drought-relief work pic.twitter.com/yq6xz0Pkhp
— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) April 18, 2016
Pankaja, daughter of late Union minister Gopinath Munde, who died in a road accident in Delhi in June 2014, clicked several selfies from different angles while touring the parched Latur and Beed districts. She can be seen posing in the backdrop of parched land with a smile.
Water conservation is happening massively ...isn't it "sawedana " for "duskhal" pic.twitter.com/HbDMkxtxaA
— PankajaGopinathMunde (@Pankajamunde) April 17, 2016
One can't help but recall the so-called "vulture tourism" of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who descended on the Hyderabad University campus after Rohith Vemula's suicide.
Rahul and Kejriwal were criticised by the BJP then for politicising the death of Vemula. Now, it is the turn of the two Opposition parties to return the salvo by attacking the BJP over Pankaja's drought selfies. AAP MLA in Delhi Alka Lamba quipped about the Maharashtra minister's action, which apparently reeks of insensitiveness.
Maharashtra BJP Govt is organising "Drought Tourism" for their incentive ministers .. #Latur # Beed #Selfie https://t.co/kSB3DTLMBi
— Alka Lamba (@LambaAlka) April 18, 2016
The Congress too sought to corner the BJP over the latest row.
BJP as a whole is a selfie and optics party, this is like making a mockery of the drought: Congress on Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 18, 2016
Not just the Opposition, but BJP's ally, the Shiv Sena, too, reprimanded Pankaja over her action, which appeared to be mocking the drought conditions.
Pankaja Munde selfie row: Congress accuses BJP of mocking Maharashtra drought, Sena joins inhttps://t.co/eTSWdqlMC7 pic.twitter.com/ZXmWgWOjK8
— India Today (@IndiaToday) April 18, 2016
Just last week, Maharashtra revenue minister Eknath Khadse was in the eye of the storm when 10,000 litres of water were allegedly wasted to prepare a make-shift helipad for his arrival to review the drought situation in Latur district.
This is not the first time that Pankaja has sparked a controversy.
In 2015 too, as women and child development minister, she had allegedly cleared 24 purchase orders to buy chikki, mats and books for anganwadi schools worth Rs 206 crore in a single day without inviting tenders. According to government rules, ministries placing orders above Rs 3 lakh must do so through the e-tendering process. She had refused to resign then saying she had done no wrong and that the money would have gone to waste had she not ordered the procurement of the goods.
In the selfie controversy too the minister is trying to justify her act. She posted several tweets to defend herself.
My knowledgeable friends wason sight visit as a dept head I n my officers were trying many trenches failed here we got water so ws relieved
— PankajaGopinathMunde (@Pankajamunde) April 17, 2016
This pics are work done by govt n ppl participation it's my dept n I was working from day 1sence of satisfaction if it rains we are ready
— PankajaGopinathMunde (@Pankajamunde) April 17, 2016
Pankaja may have been seriously concerned about the drought situation in the two districts of which she is the guardian minister. But mixing work with pleasure by clicking selfies turned it into "drought tourism". This is utterly disgraceful.