The Congress and Samajwadi Party are accusing a UP minister of “insulting Sanatana Dharma” after a video surfaced of him washing his hands at a shivling in a temple.

New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Minister Satish Sharma has been receiving criticism after a video clip of him surfaced in which he is seen washing his hands at the side of a Shivling in Barabanki’s Lodheshwar Mahadev temple. The video went viral, leading to opposition backlash against the minister. In the viral video, a priest can be observed assisting Sharma in washing his hands in the ‘argha,’ or the base, of the Shivling. Notably, this video has provided the opposition with an opportunity to retaliate against the INDIA bloc following Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks on ‘Sanatana Dharma.’

Watch The Viral Video Here

State Congress chief Ajay Rai expressed his displeasure over Satish Sharma’s actions, stating that they “insulted Sanatana Dharma” and raising the question, “Should we wash our hands when we offer water and show our respect?”

Congress leader Surendra Rajput also criticized the Uttar Pradesh minister for insulting Lord Shiva and demanded his resignation. He remarked, “Only those who do not respect Sanatan Dharma can engage in such behavior. The BJP minister has shown disrespect to Lord Shiva. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should remove him from his position for this act against the religion,” as reported by PTI news agency.

Samajwadi Party leader Sunil Singh Sajan pointed out that the video reveals the “true character of the BJP” and questioned when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would “dismiss this ‘adharmi’ (irreligious) minister.”

The Minister Responded

Meanwhile, Satish Sharma dismissed the Opposition’s reaction, describing it as an unnecessary exaggeration of the issue. He affirmed that he acted in accordance with his beliefs, stating, “I am a devout worshiper of Lord Shiva (Sanatani Shiv bhakt). I am well aware of what is right and what is wrong,” in an interview with PTI.

The BJP minister pointed out that the priest wouldn’t have assisted him in washing his hands if he had done something wrong.

Furthermore, the temple priest defended the minister’s actions, explaining, “Minister Sharma had applied sandalwood, among other substances, on his hands during the puja. When he requested to wash his hands, it was done adjacent to the Shivling (Shiva’s idol). This was done because it was offered as prasad (sacred offering). There is nothing inappropriate in this,” as conveyed to PTI.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister KP Maurya responded to the opposition leaders’ outrage over the video, saying, “The Samajwadi Party and Congress are shamelessly crossing the line by remaining silent on the statement made by the Tamil Nadu CM’s son but focusing on Satish Sharma, who is a devoted worshiper of Lord Shiva.