One day of summer when the temperature was between 35 to 40 degrees Celsius, Bihar Sports Minister Surendra Mehta distributed more than 500 blankets among the poor residents of Ahiyapur village in his Bachwara assembly constituency. Sharing pictures of the distribution campaign on his official Facebook page, Mr. Mehta wrote, “On the occasion of the 46th Foundation Day of the world, the world’s largest party working with Antyodaya and the spirit of nation building, people were honored with Angavastra in Ahiyapur village of Govindpur-2 Panchayat of Bachwada assembly constituency today.”
In the video of the program, there is a huge crowd at the venue. Minister Mehta and many local BJP leaders were sitting on the stage and hundreds of men and women appeared to receive blankets. Despite the crowd, the initiative has been criticized – in the summer season. Making fun of this move on social media, videos are also going viral. Former CPI MLA from Bachwada, Awadhesh Rai, condemned the move, “If the Minister of Sports had distributed this blanket on Vajpayee’s birthday (December 25), people might have been able to use them. But I am surprised that he decided to distribute blankets in this scorching sun. No attempts were made for children to develop sports grounds or sports facilities.
