Lucknow: A video showing Uttar Pradesh minister Satish Sharma washing his hands at the Shivling at the Lodeshwar Mahadev temple in Barabanki on Monday sparked protests from opposition parties.

The video clip shows the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies washing his hands at the ‘Argha’ or base of the Shivlingam with the help of a priest.

The Congress and the Samajwadi Party took exception to the move and demanded the minister’s resignation for “insulting Sanatana Dharma”.

Minister Sharma countered the allegations saying that he had not done anything wrong and that if he had, the priest would have stopped him.

The temple priest said that as the minister had ‘prasad’ in his hand, he assisted in washing them in the ‘Argha’ of Shiva linga and there was nothing wrong in this.

The incident took place on August 27 when Sharma visited the temple along with Public Works Minister Jitin Prasad.

Sharma and Minister Jitin Prasad were on their way to distribute relief materials to flood victims in Hedmapur village of Ramnagar Taluka when they both stopped to offer prayers at a temple.

UP Congress leader Ajay Roy said that He should know what the minister is doing. Should he wash his hands by offering water and doing etiquette The minister has insulted Sanatana Dharma.

Congress leader Surendra Rajput said that Satish Sharma had insulted Lord Shiva with his actions and they should be sacked.

Samajwadi Party leader and former MLC Sunil Singh Sajan also raised an objection 

“When will Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expel this ‘unrighteous’ minister? This is the real nature of the BJP. First, they ask for votes in the name of religion. Then they do similar things,” Sajan said.

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