During an event held on 'Guru Purnima' at Jamshedpur's Brahma Lok Dham on Sunday, women were seen washing the feet of state chief Minister Raghubar Das, leading to a controversy.
In a video aired by TV news channels, Das is seen standing with folded hands and women washing his feet on a plate full of flower petals. Das was the chief guest at the event.
The video of the incident was shared by a news agency and it went viral on the internet in no time.
At the event, CM Raghubar Das promised to provide health insurance worth Rs. 2 lakh to those who cannot afford it due to poverty. Das said that his government was starting up an entrepreneurship board for promoting women entrepreneurs in Jharkhand. Both these schemes mainly focus on the rural areas in the state.
The Mukhyamanti Udyamita Board will help women entrepreneurs and the scheme plans to cover 32000 villages in Jharkhand. In these villages, women can be employed creating a supply chain for blankets used in various places like hospitals or hotels.
Meanwhile, as there was outrage over the news, the BJP defended Das, saying it was an old ritual. The Congress charged Das with ‘sycophancy’.
There were reactions of Twitter: “I think women washing Jharkhand CM’s feet is very ridiculous & laughable incident,” posted Shiv Sena’s Manisha Kayande on Twitter.