Stranded in waist-deep water and struggling for essentials as the rain gods showed no mercy, what would you expect from a minister who pays a visit to your area? Relief, a rescue strategy, items of daily
use, or at least a little sympathy. However, imagine if the neta—instead of listening to your plight—turns it into a sermon on your religious beliefs.
Residents of Kanpur Dehat district in Uttar Pradesh were in for a shock when state cabinet minister Sanjay Nishad, during a visit to the flood-affected area, 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”.
In a video that is going viral on social media, Nishad, who is also chief of the Nishad Party, can be heard making the remarks even as villagers try to explain their troubles.
The video also shows a woman travelling with the government team trying to explain the minister’s remarks to an elderly woman who then retorts: “Stay here with us and take the blessings of Ganga yourself.”
Nishad, when asked about his remarks, was quoted by Indian Express as saying that the government is giving 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 said: “We cannot stop water and this is not a one day or one-year problem. I was trying to give them emotional support”, adding: “It is important to instill positive thinking and hope. Otherwise, the opposition will spread negativity.”
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to continue over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and some parts of Uttar Pradesh over the next three days, with isolated extremely heavy rainfall over northwest Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Across Uttar Pradesh, over 402 villages across 17 districts lie submerged, more than 84,000 people are affected, and 16 lives have been lost in just 24 hours.
According to official data, floods have battered 17 districts, including Prayagraj, Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar, Lakhimpur Kheri, Mirzapur, and Ballia. Over 402 villages across 37 tehsils are reeling under floodwaters, directly impacting 84,392 people. The relentless downpour, averaging 36.8 mm across 73 districts in the past 24 hours—a staggering 405 per cent above the normal forecast of 7.3 mm—has exacerbated the crisis. In just 24 hours, 16 people lost their lives in rain and flood-related mishaps, while more than 343 homes have collapsed across the state.
