Dirty move sweeps over Clean India campaign
Politician’s cheating photo op goes viral on social media
SINCE new Prime Minister Narendra Modi wielded a broom to launch his Clean India campaign last month, high-profile figures have been falling over themselves to be photographed sweeping the streets.
But for one hapless politician, the move backfired after a worker was photographed scattering leaves so that he could pose sweeping them up.
The images exposing Satish Upadhyay, a New Delhi leader of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, went viral on social media after they were published by the Mail Today newspaper this week.
#CheatingCleanIndia was trending as India’s most used hashtag by Friday morning as Twitter users rushed to condemn the photo opportunity.
Niraj Surana tweeted that there was now a “large demand for VIP garbage like dry leaves (non-stinking)”.
Suraj Bajaj posted: “Just when I thought something good is finally happening since the new government, you see hypocrite leaders #CheatingCleanIndia.”
Modi launched his Clean India campaign with much fanfare on October 2, exhorting ministers and civil servants in the status-conscious country to take part in a mass cleanup of government buildings.
Since then, dozens of politicians, movie stars and industrialists, including actor Salman Khan and business tycoon Anil Ambani, have got in on the act.
Upadhyay defended himself, saying he had been in- vited to a cleanup event — and blamed the organisers.
“Whoever has done it, it hasn’t been done right,” he told CNN-IBN news channel. “The campaign launched by the PM Modi is not just for photo ops.”
Meanwhile, actor and filmmaker Kamalhassan, who turned 60 on Friday, has launched the cleaning of Madhambakkam lake as part of the campaign.
He is spearheading the movement with the volunteers of “Narpani Iyakkam” (Welfare Club).
“Kamalhassan launched the cleaning of Madhambakkam lake earlier this morning. Later in the day, he is expected to announce his plans on how to take the Swachh Bharat [Clean India] campaign forward and get more people involved,” read a statement.
Kamalhassan recently accepted Modi’s invitation to join the Clean India campaign and has invited nine million people to join the “nation-building” initiative.
He said he would “pursue this exercise not for any political philosophy”.
The actor’s family and close friends are expected to organise a birthday party later. — AFP