Bihar Sports Minister Surendra Mehta has been facing flak for distributing blankets to the underprivileged at a time when the state is scorching under severe heat with mercury touching 40 degrees. Hundreds of villagers gathered at the venue to receive blankets despite the weather being not favourable to use the same.

Photos and videos of his blanket distribution drive have gone viral on social media with netizens trolling the minister for this untimely initiative.

Blanket distribution flaunted on social media

On the occasion of 46th Foundation Day of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on April 6, the state sports minister distributed over 500 blankets among poor residents of Ahiyapur village under Bachhwara Assembly constituency of Begusarai district.

Sharing photos from the blanket distribution drive on his official Facebook page, the minister wrote, “On the occasion of the 46th Foundation Day of BJP, the largest party in the world working with the spirit of Antyodaya and nation building, celebrated today at Ahiyapur village of Govindpur-2 Panchayat of Bachhwara Assembly constituency and honoured people with clothes.”

Netizens troll minister

With photos and videos viral on social media, netizens are slamming the politician and making fun of the event. Some are of the opinion that the minister must have sourced the blankets for cheap with summer being an off season for the same, while some are sarcastically praising the minister for winter preparedness in advance. A section of netizens also criticised the move saying Indian ministers are not educated enough.

The blanket distribution comes ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, where the BJP, in alliance with Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), is preparing to retain power.

Hindu Sena Party launched ahead of Bihar Assembly Elections

Meanwhile, with the Bihar Assembly Elections approaching, former IPS officer Shivdeep Lande announced the formation of a new political party named ‘Hindu Sena Party’ earlier this week. The newly formed party will contest the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar.

2006 batch officer Shivdeep Lande, who had resigned from the Indian Police Service less than a year ago, made the announcement at a press conference held in state capital Patna this week. Originally from Maharashtra, the IPS officer is popularly known as the ‘Singham of Bihar’.

Notably, the 49-year-old former IPS officer is the son in law of Shiv Sena leader and former Maharashtra minister Vijay Shivtare.