Video of Maharashtra minister urinating in public goes viral

Mumbai: A video of a Maharashtra cabinet minister Ram Shinde peeing on roadside has gone viral. The opposition Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said the minister not finding a toilet on a highway shows that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has failed. Whereas, Mr Shinde has cited health reasons for the “mistake” and assured that he would take care in future.

Minister in chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’ cabinet Mr Shinde has landed himself in a controversy. The incident occurred on a stretch of the Solapur-Barshi road when the water conservation minister was travelling in his car.

After facing heavy criticism on social media, Mr Shinde has to come out with an explanation. Talking to press Mr Shinde said, “I was feeling ill. I am touring the state for implementation of Jalyukt Shivar scheme for last one month. That’s why I got ill due to constant travel as well as dust. I was suffering from fever also, and I had no choice to relieve myself by the roadside.”

The NCP has slammed Mr Shinde for urinating on the roadside. “It is now proved that the government has been looting people in the name of Swachh Bharat cess on petrol and diesel,” NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said. “If the minister did not find a toilet on a highway, it means the government has all along been looting people in the name of Swacch Bharat cess on fuel. The minister has proved that the whole scheme is nothing but a big failure,” Mr Malik said.