A remark by Uttar Pradesh fisheries minister Sanjay Nishad during a visit to flood-affected areas has triggered strong criticism from the Opposition and sparked a row on social media.
Nishad was visiting the Kanpur Dehat area of Lucknow on Tuesday to assess the situation as water levels in the Ganga and Yamuna rivers rose across several parts of the state. In a video from the visit, a local resident can be heard describing how far the water has entered homes. In response, the minister is heard saying, “Ganga maiya reaches your doorstep to clean your feet and this will take you directly to heaven.”
The comment quickly went viral, with the Uttar Pradesh Congress posting the clip on X and accusing Nishad of being out of touch with the hardships faced by flood-hit families. “The minister himself lives in a posh area of Lucknow; forget Ganga, not even a drain flows by his doorstep,” the party wrote.
Following the backlash, Nishad told PTI that the remark was made in a “lighter vein” and within a cultural context. “For salvation, people from faraway places come to take a holy dip in the Ganga, and here Ganga maiya was right at their doorstep. We Nishads worship rivers as they are our source of life and livelihood,” he said.
Samajwadi Party spokesperson Sharvendra Bikram Singh also criticised the minister, saying his statement showed a lack of understanding of the suffering faced by flood victims. “The state government has failed to provide relief to the people and its ministers are looking for photo opportunities,” Singh said.
Several districts in Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, Kanpur, Prayagraj, and Varanasi, are struggling with severe flooding and waterlogging due to heavy rains, with water entering homes in many low-lying areas.
