BJP MP proudly shares photos of OBC youth washing his feet, then drinking the water

Nishikant Dubey, BJP MP for Godda, Jharkhand is being slammed on social media after he proudly shared photos of a backward caste youth on Facebook, washing his feet and then drinking the dirty water.

“BJP's great activist Pawan Sah ji joyfully washed my feet in front of thousands of people,” exulted Dubey while sharing the photos on Facebook on Sunday, September 16. The video can be viewed here:

The incident took place on Sunday, when the BJP leader was at a campaign rally in Godda, NDTV reported. “After Mr Dubey finished his speech, the BJP worker, Pawan, brought a brass thali and a lota (plate with raised rims and a round water container) and sat near his feet. The BJP worker washed Mr Dubey's feet, wiped them with a cloth and drank the water on the plate as supporters cheered ‘Pawan bhai zindabad’,” the report said.

However, the backlash followed quickly. Senior journalist Dilip Mandal called it a “Shameful day for democracy”. “Nishikant Dubey, BJP MP from Godda, Jharkhand, has shared a photograph on his Facebook page in which an OBC youth Pawan Sah washed his feet in public and drank all the dirty water. Instead of stopping him, Dubey appreciated him and put up the photograph,” tweeted Mandal.

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Tejashwi Yadav slammed Dubey, saying, “This is the epitome of casteism. This is why the RSS chief was saying our rule has come after 800 years, so that a backward caste person can wash the feet of the upper caste persons and MPs and drink the muddy water. After making Dalits and backward castes lick their muddy feet, these BJP MPs will work for their development.”

Stung by the criticism but not sorry, Dubey went on to dig a deeper hole for himself. “Should I change my mother and father? Are my mother and father eligible for abuse because I am a Brahmin by caste? Whether someone did it or not, I’ve washed the feet of my teacher, Narayan Singh, who was a Kurmi by caste, and drank the water. Someday, I would be fortunate enough to wash the feet of party-workers like Pawan and take that water. It is because of them that I exist in public life,”he wrote in another Facebook post, adding that “In the last 9 years, I have not given such credit to any of the party workers. When this incident happened in front of thousands of people, I myself told this to the people. The BJP workers have received bullets to protect the principles of the party and save my life. A worker from Bhagalpur Sachin had to sacrifice his life. When Pradeep Yadav's men were thrashing me, elderly activist like Chakradhar Yadav received blows of lathis. When the Muslims were trying to set me on fire in Kamargama, party workers like Shital, Aman and Vishnu ji risked their life to rescue me. I am proud that I am a BJP worker. Over 1000 workers from Godda Lok Sabha constituency had courted arrests and they continue to fight the legal battle.”

“Wish my Facebook friends could see the sense of sacrifice and dedication among party workers on the ground and appreciate it,” he remarked.

Again sharing the picture showing party worker washing his feet, a defiant Dubey wrote in another Facebook post: “Excellence can’t be distributed and if the party workers express their happiness by washing the feet (of their leader), there is nothing surprising about it.”

Claiming that washing the feet of guests is a tradition in Jharkhand, he asked if the women of the state don’t perform these rituals during public functions. “Ask your elders, didn’t Lord Krishna wash the feet in Mahabharata? Let cheap mentality be damned,” he added, wondering why the incident was being politicized.

Ironically, while some of the Facebook users and BJP supporters supported the MP and endorsed his views but there were others who minced no words in slamming Dubey. Taking a cue from Ramayana, wherein a boatman Kevat is said to have washed the feet of Lord Ram and his wife Sita to wash his sins, a Facebook user A Khalik Ansari thus reacted to the post: “Undoubtedly, BJP will be nowhere in sight in Jharkhand after the state assembly and LoK Sabha elections. This is quite certain. The BJP can no longer mislead the people of Jharkhand by invoking examples of Shri Rama and Kevat.”