'Ganga comes to wash your feet': UP minister tells flood victims; Elderly woman asks him to 'take the blessings' — VIDEO

During a visit to a flood-affected area in Kanpur Dehat on Monday, Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Sanjay Nishad sparked a row after he purportedly told local residents that they are “Ganga’s children” and thus, the “Ganga river reaches your doorstep to clean your feet, and this would take you directly to heaven.” As soon as the video surfaced on social media, netizens expressed anger against the minister.

In the viral video, Sanjay Nishad is purportedly heard making these statements to villagers, even after they were trying to highlight issues caused by the waterlogging triggered due to the rise of the Ganga River after heavy rains.

Meanwhile, in the video, a woman travelling with the minister and his team tries to explain the Nishad statements to an elderly woman. In response to the minister's remarks, the elderly woman said, “Stay here with us and take the blessings of Ganga yourself."

Later, when the minister Sanjay Nishad asked about his remarks, he told the Indian Express that the government is providing food packets and cooked food to the stranded people, “but one needs to highlight positive thoughts to them also, and that is what I did."

He also said, “We cannot stop water and this is not a one-day or one-year problem. I was trying to give them emotional support". He further added, “It is important to instill positive thinking and hope. Otherwise, the opposition will spread negativity."

IMD forecasts heavy to very heavy rainfall

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected to continue over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and other regions of Uttar Pradesh over the next three days. It also predicted isolated extremely heavy rainfall over northwest Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand between Tuesday and Wednesday.

In a tragic turn of events, over 402 villages across 17 districts lie submerged amid a flood-like situation and severe waterlogging in several parts of Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, over 84,000 people are affected, and 16 have died in just 24 hours.