Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey stirred a controversy by allowing a BJP worker to wash his feet and drink that water. Dubey, who posted a video of this, umm, ceremony, has now gone on to defend himself on his Facebook page. 

Instead of apologising for it, he asked, “Should I change the name of my mother and father? Just because I am a Brahmin by caste, does that mean my mother and father deserve verbal abuse?” He further added, “…someday, even I will get an opportunity to wash feet of workers like Pawan. It is because of them that I am politically strong.”

The story behind the now-viral video goes back to nine years when BJP worker Pawan Kumar Shah had approached the lawmaker to build a bridge between two villages. Shah had promised that if the lawmaker delivers the project, he will wash his feet and drink the water. On Sunday, Dubey attended the opening ceremony of the said bridge in Godda district. This is when Shah went on the stage with a plate and washed the BJP MP’s feet. 

In the pictures posted by Dubey and those published in local dailies, the lawmaker could be seen gleaming as the BJP worker “fulfilled his promise.” Dubey is a member of several parliamentary committees including the Public Accounts Committee. He had earlier stirred a controversy by announcing to offer legal support to those accused in the Godda mob lynching incident.